Worlds Apart
by Daimon Rising
Summary: After the war ends, thing seem at peace. Not all is as it seem as tensions rise between nations and our heroes.
1. Chapter 1

The sun was slowly breaking the hold of night over the fire nation. It truly was a new day, for the war was over and a new Fire lord crowned. Zuko was awake. He had been for near an hour, and not idly. The orange spiraling fire on the pedestal next to him cast shrinking shadows as the sun brought forth light to conquer it. There was so much to do. Withdrawing the troops, giving the nations the prisoners they had taken, and much harder, regaining the honor of the fire nation. Footsteps echoed, soft as they were, into the war room where Zuko was planning the withdrawal. There was a long road ahead of him. He was doubting his own abilities. He wished his uncle was here for advice, but he knew he couldn't rely on it forever. His uncle was now in Ba Sing Se, living happily in a tea shop. This was his nation now, and he needed to lead it.

"You shouldn't get up without me Zuko, it's rude to leave your betrothed in bed alone." She said speaking softly. Zuko didn't look up, just closed his eyes and took a long breath. "I'm sorry Mai, I couldn't go back to sleep. Didn't want to disturb you." He said, feeling her arm, covered in the red fire nation robe she wore, wrap around his shoulders. "I have so much to do." He said. "I just hope I can do this." He opened his eyes feeling her hand on his chin, turning it to him. "You were born to do this Zuko." She said, kissing him gently for a moment. "Come on." She said. "I'm hungry." He looked up to her and gave her a half-hearted smile. "Alright, I suppose that's a good idea." Together they walked out of the fire nation's war room.

Appa landed on Omashu, which was being fixed due to the destruction done during the eclipse. Repairs had been put off due to the coming of the comet, and gathering of the members of The White Lotus. The gang was greeted with excitement, and a vanishing of a cabbage cart, leaving them all a little confused. Bumi slid off of one of the mail delivery slides and landed heavily on the ground in front of them.

"Bumi!" Aang greeted, hugging his old friend. "So what brings you to Omashu Aang?" He questioned, quirking an eye at him. Katara answered with a smile. "We are making our way to the South Pole, to return home, and Aang wanted to see how things were going here, and it seemed a good place to stop for the day." Aang jumped in right after, "Yeah, no more pushing Appa, right boy?" He said beaming and patting the bison's head which licked him in response. He chuckled a lot and Bumi cackled making everyone quiet. "Well Aang, stay wherever you like, my city is your city. As for me, I need to get back to repairs." Bumi grinned again and jumped, with an assistance from Earthbending and went back to the slide he was fixing.

"It's nice not to be stuck in a tent again don't you think?" Sokka said to the group, leaning back on his hands. It was back to the original group again. Suki had gone back to Kyoshi island, and Toph stayed in the Fire Nation, wanting to become a blacksmith of sorts. "I can agree with that." Katara said with a smile, laying some nuts and berries between them. She sat down next to Aang on the floor, and took a handful, looking at Aang, who was playing with Momo, a ball of air being used to make him jump.

"What do you think Aang?" Katara said, looking at him. "I dunno. Camping was fun." He said looking at her with a smile, the ball of air vanishing. He took a nut out of the bowl and popped it in his mouth. "Here you go Momo." Katara said, laying some on the floor. The lemur ran over without hesitation. "So Aang, this energy bending thing, what exactly can you do with it?" Sokka said breaking the comfortable silence, sniffing a berry skeptically before eating it. Aang looked a little surprised.

"Uhh…I'm not sure. I mean, I know I can take bending away, but maybe give it to people? It does seem like it to be one sided would be unbalanced." He said with a shrug, eating a berry. "I'll be right back." Katara said, kissing Aang's cheek and getting up, heading to what was her room. Aang watched her green robe flow as she disappeared around the corner. "So what's going on between you and my sister?" Sokka asked with a raised eyebrow. Aang put his hand on the back of his head.

"Well uh…"

"Well uh what?"

"It's a, um…"

Katara broke the awkwardness by calling out. "Aang, can you come in here? I want to ask you something."

"Coming Katara!" Aang replied.

"This isn't over!" Sokka told Aang as he walked away.

"What do you need Katara?" He asked her strolling in, the medallion on his chest bouncing as he walked. She gave him a smile and looked to a few piles she had made. There was piles of clothes on the bed. "Which one should I wear when we stop in Ba Sing Se?" She asked him. There was her traditional blue, her parka, an earth kingdom dress and her fire nation red outfit. "Well I think you look good in all of it." He said with a smile. "But, if you want to save the blue for when you go home, you can wear the red." Aang said, remembering what she looked like in all of the different outfits. "Thanks Aang." She said, shifting her clothes as he stepped out where Sokka was waiting. "Let's take a walk." He said.

It had been quiet between them as they left the house, Sokka announcing to Katara they would be back. Sokka broke the silence.

"Listen…I know you have had a crush on my sister for awhile now. I'm not even thick enough to not see that." He said. "But, now things seem different. What's going on Aang?" Aang looked away for a moment and stopped walking.

"I love her." He said to Sokka before looking away. A cart flew by overhead, letting a moment pass between them before he looked back to him. "Are you guys together or what?" He asked raising an eyebrow at the monk. "Well, since the coronation, her and I have kind of just been. Like what happened between you and Suki. Never really announced, but it just is." Sokka nodded rubbing his chin. "You better be serious about this Aang, because if you aren't, things are going to get bad." He warned. "Not just with me." He added. "I don't envy you if you cross my sister." He said. Aang nodded unafraid. "I know, and I promise you, I'm not going to." He replied.

"Well, as long as you guys aren't all gushy near me, then I have no problem with it." Sokka said with a shrug. Aang chuckled. "Deal."

_A/N: Okay, well here is the first chapter of my first multichapter fanfiction! Please, Review because I need to know what you guys think. I will try to have chapters up weekly! Most importantly, enjoy!_


	2. Chapter 2

Katara looked towards the door where her brother and…she still had butterflies admitting this, boyfriend, had left. Even Momo had taken off, leaving her to her thoughts. They had been gone for awhile, but she knew this talk had been coming. It had sounded like Sokka had started it. Aang never liked to be confrontational about things. Hopefully Sokka would be okay with it. As if he had a choice in the end, she wouldn't let her brother push her around, not with the two girlfriends he had within the past year. She bent some water from the vase that had been brought in and rubbed her face gently with it. Everything was going to be different now, and she wasn't sure how she was going to handle it.

She was going home now, there was nothing left to do. Aang was a Fully Realized Avatar, and the war was over. For the first time in a year, the stress was gone. It felt almost…unusual to have nowhere to be, no destination that held urgency. Home…this had a new meaning now. Her father would be there once again, and now she had a new grandfather to greet. This brought her thoughts to Aang. She wanted him to stay, and she had told him he was welcome and she didn't want him to go, but she couldn't stop him if he chose otherwise. She knew his original home was the Southern Air Temple, but, she wanted him, as selfish as it felt, at the South Pole with her. It had taken so long to get to this point, the point of togetherness that it seemed like everything would break again if he left. She fingered her mother's necklace gently. Thinking.

Even before the invasion she had known she loved him. Before that, yes, she liked him, but that true first kiss, made it worse. She had wanted to be with him, and was planning on telling him about it for the same reason she ended up becoming confused. It all happened in the crystal catacombs. Her talk with Zuko made her realize that there was hope in this world, it had made her think about Aang, and how she truly felt. When they escaped she wanted to tell him everything, but, then she was betrayed, her trust shattered in the moment he betrayed them…betrayed her. Yes, he had made up for it, saved them all, and helped Aang defeat the fire lord. It was hard to recover from though. It made her feelings about Aang twisted again. She couldn't trust again, so when Aang kissed her on the submarine the day of the invasion she was conflicted. He had finally kissed her, what she had really wanted, but her fear of being broken again took over, and made her withdraw further into herself.

The defeat of Ozai made her finally able to accept Aang's advances, made her truly want to be with him. She had been afraid. Never had she told anyone before, but she had been terrified for Aang. When he disappeared she feared losing him. She didn't want Aang to suddenly decided the Avatar duty was more important than her. It was terribly selfish, she knew that, but it was deeper. What if he had died? She would have opened her heart to love someone, truly love someone, and if he had failed…died in that battle, she didn't know what she would have done. Everything would have been over. Forgetting the world she would have been struck down and unable to recover. Tears flowed from her closed eyes, gently staining her green robes. She wouldn't have been able to take it. He was alive though, alive and well. Seeing him grown up now, and still wanting her above all else made her finally accept him into her life as more then a friend, as her boyfriend. She wiped her eyes clear and took a deep breath. Everything was okay now, things were finally peaceful.

She heard the door creak open, and heard the distinct sound of Sokka and Aang laughing. It had went well. She smiled and walked over to the bowl of fruit and nuts, eating a berry, pretending that she had awaited their return patiently, not suspecting a thing that was going on.

"Hey guys, have a nice walk?" She asked them with a smile. "The best." Aang replied, flashing her a smile that she had only ever seen given to her. It warmed her heart. "Are you guys hungry? I can start dinner if you'd like." She offered. "Know what Katara. I think I'll take care of it tonight." Aang said, lifting off the floor and gently floating to give her a kiss on the cheek before heading over to the pot on the counter top, Momo perching on his head. Katara looked over to him and smiled. She had made the right decision, she had no doubt about that at all.

It turned out Aang was actually an okay cook. Katara made some meat for Sokka since Aang never cooked with meat, but the vegetable pot pie he made was delicious and the fruit pies were delectable. It was dark outside, but the lamps Aang had lit gave a nice glow to the room.

"So Sokka. I got a package today from Toph, she had Zuko send it for her." Katara said. He looked up half interested. "Really? What'd she send you?" A smile spread across her face. "She sent me a letter, but she sent you something too." She said handing him a rectangular package." He raised his eyebrows and took it, ripping it open and giving an excited squeal. "She made me a boomerang!" Sure enough, in his hand was a silver boomerang and what appeared to be the water tribe seal inscribed across it. "Wow, I have to give her a big hug when I see her next! I'm going to try it out!" Aang and Katara laughed as he rushed out of the room with a torch to test out his boomerang. "You asked her to make it didn't you?" Aang said looking at her. She blushed gently. "Yeah, he really missed his boomerang. I just wish I could find that sword." Aang nodded. "Maybe we will, if we are meant too." He said being his more spiritual self that he'd grown into. She leaned into him, closing her eyes. "Thank you for dinner." She said with a small smile." "Of course Katara." He replied. An excited holler from outside made them laugh and she backed away, standing up to take the dishes from the floor. Apparently the boomerang worked.

Sokka walked in beaming. "It's perfect. jiwaaaaah! I am the boomerang guy again!" He said excitedly before stretching. "Well I'm going to get some sleep." He said with a smile. Walking away he could be heard muttering to himself. "Yes, you're my new boomerang aren't you." The happy couple, sitting together on the ground chuckled. Katara faced Aang and they both smiled, kissing gently for a few moments. A happy sigh escaped her and Aang beamed at her. "I suppose we should get some rest too." She said, watching Aang's smile slip a little. She knew he didn't want to be separated from her, but she knew they had no other choice. They were both young, and just now starting their relationship. One day they would stay together, but for now they would say their goodbyes. They stood and smiled at each other, embracing for a long moment and sharing a short kiss. "I love you Katara." He said smiling. "I love you too Aang." She replied before they separated for the night and went to their personal sleeping quarters.


	3. Chapter 3

Aang was awake before the sun rose the next morning. His eyes were closed, legs crossed as he meditated. It was habit that had him getting up so early, and not hearing any movement from outside, he decided to meditate. He was at peace, there was no question about that, but right now, he wanted to talk to Roku. When next he opened his eyes, that brown and green of his sleeping quarters were gone, and around him was a volcano of the spirit world.

"Roku, where are you?" He called out, standing up, and looking around quickly. A fire spout shot up in front of him and Roku stepped out from behind it. "Hello Aang." He greeted with a small smile. "We are all proud of you." The old man's voice was that of the Avatar's when he spoke. Aang looked away, and would have been blushing if he could.

"What do you need?" Aang took a deep breath, looking up to his mentor, wondering where to begin.

Across the sea, there was another who was awake once again, but not at peace. Fire lord Zuko was in an emergency meeting. There was a fleet of fire nation ships, whom remained loyal to Ozai, terrorizing and pirating Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe ships.

"We need to put a stop to this Fire Lord." Said his lead general.

"I know, but we can only go about this so many ways. They have a large fleet and are some of our elite, there's not much we can do without having a huge outright battle with our own. Is there any chance of intercepting?"

The general shook his head. "They have a head start, and are coming from the Earth Kingdom, we can't catch them at this point. " Zuko sighed heavily, a ball of flame escaping his mouth. This was going to get worse before it got better, Zuko had known this, but it was getting worse by the minute. A new voice broke through the silence, one which the Fire Lord longed to hear. "If I may suggest Fire Lord Zuko, we send a message to the Avatar." Zuko looked up, seeing his uncle standing in the entryway, he smiled. "Let's start there. Please Uncle, join us." He said with a smile, positioning to his right hand side.

Sokka sat at the desk that was in the lavish bedroom which they had been given. He could get used to this life. It was past sun up now, and Sokka was writing a letter. It was to Suki. He missed her and wanted to make sure she was alright. He knew that she could handle herself, but after Yue…he still had a problem letting it go. He finished it up, rolling it and giving it to the messenger hawk. Toph's parents had returned him to Sokka after the last visit together. It was a good thing too, helped him talk with Suki.

"Okay Hawky, go to Kyoshi Island and give this to Suki." The bird nodded and flew out the open window. Sokka watched it go, hoping that there would be a reply sooner then later from the woman he loved.

"Aang…are you awake? It's getting late." Katara's voice called from the hall. Aang looked up at the door, away from the stone he was holding, which he quickly tucked away. "Be out in a minute." He called out, hopping off the bed, and hiding the papers he had drawn, rolling them carefully and tucking them away with his stuff. After it was all packed up he grinned. It was a long way off, but he was sure it would be perfect when he was done. He was wearing his light yellow and orange robe, opening the door.

"Sorry Katara, I was meditating." He said, giving her a kiss on the cheek as her smile greeted him. "Well if we want to make it to Ba Sing Se, we should leave soon." She said. Aang could tell she was anxious. It had been a long time since she had been home and it would be strange to return. It wasn't him home…but it was. Aang was more nervous about it then he admitted. He was sure he'd be welcome to stay, but in all reality, he had no home. His nervousness was just another reason he decided to check on things in Ba Sing Se, it was out of the way, but as the Avatar he had an excuse, but in truth, he didn't know if the South Pole would feel welcome. Everything he knew was gone. He would get past this, he had to. As long as they didn't just seal him up in the iceberg again. He chuckled inwardly as he went back into his room to gather his things. It would be awhile before he could keep going on his project without anyone discovering, but for now, he'd just enjoy the company of his girlfriend and his best friend.

The goodbyes were said to Bumi within a few minutes, and soon enough they were back on Appa and in the air. "So did you get some nice treats last night Appa?" He asked smiling. The bison replied with his typical grunt. Aang chuckled looking back to the saddle. Katara was asleep, laying across it with her eyes closed. That worried him slightly, why was she tired? Maybe she was just overly tired? Aang shrugged, he would ask her later, but for now just let her sleep. Sokka was sharpening his boomerang, paying careful attention to it. All seemed to be fine for now. "Yip yip Appa, let's go a bit higher, lots of clouds coming. He roared in response and they lifted slowly into the sky, the warm sun beating down on them in the morning light, threatening to only get hotter as they headed towards the impenetrable city.

There was a flurry blowing. A white out filling the small tribe in the Southern Water Tribe. Doors were slamming shut all around to stop the cold from filling the homes. One remained running though. Her brown hair fluttered in the snow, but she quickly dismissed the snow; running through it and bending the water in it to not hit her. It was hard to run and bend, but Katara was managing.

"Aang! Where are you?" She yelled, the storm all but stopping her voice. He was out here, she knew he was. She could feel tears burning in her eyes. She couldn't lose him. She had come too close. The snow picked up and knocked her to the ground. "Enough!" She yelled out, lifting her arms and flicking her hands upward, the snow freezing in midair. She took a deep breath, her eyes closed. "There…that will help it…" She opened her eyes and choked. There he was, completely frozen once again, in an iceberg, but not in the Avatar state. "No… Noooooo!" She cried in pain dropping to her knees, the ice cracking beneath her, the iceberg holding him shattering before her. She scrambled over, her tears freezing as she approached him. She took him in her arms. His skin greyer then the ash that had haunted their skies.

"Aang…" she whispered. There was silence, and then he moved. Slowly his head turned to look at her, his eyes opening suddenly. "Why didn't you save me…" He breathed out before collapsing in her arms once again. The Avatar was dead.

Katara sat up quickly. She was in Appa's saddle, they were in the air still. She could feel the tears streaming down the face. She looked over to Sokka, who was looking out towards the clouds below them. She took a heavy breath and wiped her eyes. She could see the blue tattoo on the back of Aang's head. He was alright. These dreams had to stop. She moved carefully out of the saddle, climbing onto the bison's head. Aang looked back at her, his smile fading seeing the look on her face.

"Katara…what's wrong?" He asked her, suddenly worried. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head into his shoulder.

"Don't leave me Aang." She whispered. He turned to her, letting go of Appa's reigns and hugged her. "Where did this come from?" He asked her still worried.

"I've been having dreams Aang…terrible ones." He frowned at her. "I'm sorry Katara." He told her, stroking her hair. "Wanna talk about it?" He asked her still looking concerned. She shook her head. "Not right now…maybe later." She told him honestly. He gave her a gentle kiss. "You should get back on the saddle. I don't want you slipping off." He told her. She nodded in response to him, trying to smile, but failing and started climbing back onto the saddle. He was alive, he still loved her, and they would return home soon. Maybe then, the dreams would finally stop.


	4. Chapter 4

The gang landed in Ba Sing Se shortly after twilight. It was easy sailing, but a storm seemed to be falling in behind them. Appa didn't like landing in the city, but who could blame him? After his experience here no one was going to blame him. They were going to the Jasmine Dragon to visit Iroh. They were surprised to find he wasn't there.

"I'm sorry, he left two days ago, something urgent he said." The current caretaker explained to them. "Feel free to stay, he should be returning soon, he really does love his shop, never before have I seen a man with such passion for tea." Aang thanked him and they looked at each other curiously. Where could he have possibly gone? Bumi would have told them if it was related to the White Lotus. Maybe just a good will mission to the fire nation. His family was there after all. It didn't matter. They settled into a house put aside by the Earth King. They had already spoken to the Earth King and he offered them a special house in the richest part of the city whenever they came. Best of all, no Ju Dee.

It was quiet for the night until a hawk spread the silence of the night with a cry. It was Sokka's, who took it and slipped away into his room. He closed his door quickly, and lit a candle. He smiled looking down at the scroll. She had replied so quickly. It made his heart swim.

_Dear Sokka,_

_ It is so nice to hear from you. We are very busy here on Kyoshi Island, Ty Lee is teaching us a lot of disabling maneuvers, and she is completely in love with using the fans as weapons. She really seems to be enjoying herself. I miss you. I didn't want to return home, but with the war over, we need to start teaching the new generation. I will try to make my way soon to see you, but it may not be for awhile. I can't wait to see the South Pole! Don't forget about me._

_ Love,_

_ Suki_

Sokka smiled at it, she still cared, he hadn't lost her, not yet. He wanted to convince her to come and stay, but he knew she was stubborn. He didn't want to leave his sister yet, and dad would actually be home to stay. He wasn't going to miss that, not for a moment. Maybe after it seemed normal he would leave…but he wasn't sure, he would need to think about that, think about it long and hard. He took a deep breath and took out a piece of parchment. It was now time to reply to her.

Aang approached Katara, who was sitting down with a water bending scroll, gently stroking a lock of her hair. He sat down across from her and looked at her very seriously. She looked up at him, grasping the length of hair. "What is it Aang?" She asked slightly concerned.

"Tell me about your dream Katara." He said to her. She looked away from him and stood up, rolling the scroll. "Aang, it doesn't matter okay." She said, walking away. He was on his feet and caught her arm. "Please Katara…just talk to me. I want to help." She sighed and couldn't stop the tears from coming to her eyes. There was a long pause and she finally spoke.

"Every dream I have…I lose you…" She said, still not looking at him. "They are never the same…something terrible happens and…and I can't save you." Aang didn't speak, he walked over and embraced her. She turned around and buried her face in his chest sobbing. "I almost lost you once, and when you disappeared before the comet…I expected the worst…I can't stand it Aang, I can't lose you. I just…can't." Her last word was a whisper, and Aang didn't speak. His eyes were closed, leaning into her head.

"You saved me once Katara…" He began slowly. "And I'm not going anywhere." He took a deep breath. "I have had dreams of losing you, with nothing I could do about it." He told her. "When I wake up, I know it was a dream, and I get to see you again."

"It's not the same." She said, looking up to him and pulling away. "You didn't watch me die, fall motionless to the ground. It haunts me Aang, it really does."

"Come with me Katara, and let me show you something." He said, taking her by the hand and heading towards the door.

They were on Appa, just Katara and Aang, flying towards the outer wall. "Where are we going Aang?"

"Outside the city." He told her. "It needs to be away from people."

The moon was halved tonight, giving half a glow to the world around them. It wasn't long before the left the tall walls of Ba Sing Se, and went into the uninhabited country around it.

"Yip yip Appa, this is good." They landed in a clearing with a large river, mostly rock. As Katara slipped off Appa he flew off a ways into the forest.

"Uh Aang…where's Appa going?" She asked him.

"I told him to graze as soon as we landed."

"What's this about Aang."

"Remember how I was, when I entered the Avatar state? Unable to control it? It's different now…I can control it.

"I don't understand why…"

"Shh…just watch."

Aang took a deep breath, his eyes and tattoos glowing momentarily. He summoned a tornado to lift him up before earth bending the ground, it jutting up into shapes undeterminable from the ground level, as water balled from the lake in tremendous amounts, as that happened he summoned fire, sending it towards one of the monuments he had made, and the water towards another, freezing it as it landed. Slowly Aang returned to the ground, causing the tornado to go into the fourth column he had made. He turned and looked at her.

"I can call about the power at will now, no more defensive state. I won't be in the kind of danger Azula put me in because…I am in control of myself, and I didn't have to let go of you as I'd feared. I'm a new person now." He said looking at her. "Please stop worrying. For me." She took a deep breath.

"I'll try." There was a pause between them.

"So what did you do…?"

"I'll show you. Appa come here!" The sky bison bounded over and licked him, Aang laughed as he was knocked over. He helped Katara up and then leapt into the air, floaty as usual. "Yip yip!" Into the air they soared, in small circles. Once they got a good distance above the trees, to where it was making them look miniscule Aang smiled. "Look down." Below them there were the symbols of the four nations. Each with their respective elements. Ice encasing the water, fire burning, and even the tornado still spinning. "Doesn't take much with the Avatar state." He said. "Appa take us to the house, I'm not going to fly you." He climbed off the Bison's head as he changed direction, sitting in the saddle next to Katara whom snuggled into him. It would be a pleasant trip back.


	5. Chapter 5

The storm set in shortly after they left Appa to his housing. Katara was water bending the rain off of herself and Aang was following suit. He smiled running ahead and jumped in a puddle, defeating the purpose. He laughed slightly. "I want to get wet on my terms!" He joked. At that moment he felt something cold and wet smack into the back of his head. He looked back at Katara, but as he did, a snowball hit him right in the face. Katara's laughter burst out of her and Aang returned the favor, laughing and bending the rain into snow, throwing a snowball which caught her right in the forehead. "It's on baldy." She teased, throwing another one. Aang dodged out of the way and threw one back, but Katara was ready, bending an ice shield out of the water to stop it. She returned fire and Aang copied it, pulling water out of a puddle. He dodged out of the way of a flurry of rain Katara aimed at him. Flipping through the air and landing in front of Katara. He dropped the shield, getting close to her, and without another moment they kissed, arms sliding around the other to hold tight. It was long, lingering and sweet. That was until a voice ruined the moment.

"What's going on here?" Sokka asked, breaking the silence. Aang and Katara broke the kiss laughing, both turning to Sokka. "Fire!" They yelled together, throwing snowballs at a shocked Sokka, as he turned to run away.

Inside a few minutes later, Aang and Katara were chuckling. She was leaning into Aang, as they were seated on the floor as Sokka brooded across the room in front of the fire, being still wet.

"Getting hit with snowball fights, next thing I know I'm going to have another leech stuck to my head or something, should have just thrown my boomerang out the window and walked away. "You know Sokka, we could just dry you off if you'd come a little closer to us. "No…no, that's okay, I'll warm up the non magic way." He said shaking his head. Aang chuckled and kissed Katara gently as she leaned into his chest. "Well that was nice." He said to her. She chuckled and closed her eyes, nodding. He stroked her hair gently. "Well before you guys start throwing unnatural snow at me again, I'm going to bed." Sokka announced. "And please, keep the roar down to a minimum." He said, walking away. Momo quickly curled up in front of the fire that Sokka had abandoned. Katara had become still in his arms, her breathing slow. She had fallen asleep. Aang leaned his head against hers and smiled. He could get used to this.

Katara awoke in a daze. It was later, she knew that. The fire was but embers now, and the house dark. She was still on Aang's chest, but now they were laying down, a gentle snore escaping him. She turned slowly, to not disturb him and looked to his face.. He looked so peaceful. She didn't want to move, but they wouldn't hear the end of it if Sokka found them like this. No bad dreams too, that was something she could get used to. With a heavy sigh she pulled away, his arms catching her and his eyes slipping open.

"You okay Katara?" He asked in a whisper. She nodded to him. "Yeah, but we should go to bed. Not together…I mean…" She blushed, stammering over herself. Aang chuckled "I know what you mean." He said, letting her sit up and following suit, though his arms still around her. "Just one more minute." He said, leaning into the nook of her neck, taking a deep breath. She leaned her head against his, closing his eyes. It would be nice to spend the night in each other's arms, but she wasn't ready for that. Not yet. He reluctantly let go of her and they shared a long, lingering kiss. "Good night Aang." She said smiling. "Good night Katara." He replied, both standing, looking at each other for a long moment before stepping away to their own private quarters.

A messenger hawk rested for the night in a cliff outside a forest. It had been flying through the storm. The seal of the fire lord addressing it, showing it's true urgency. The best hawk was being used to deliver it, but still it couldn't keep going through the storm. As lightning struck the ground below, the hawk laid closed it's eyes, falling asleep, the message to be delivered another day, and in another place, not far from it's location, but far enough to make a difference.

"Good morning everyone!" Aang said, riding out of his room on an Air Scooter before making it dissipate, realizing that no one was in the kitchen. "Hmm…" He looked around and found a note from Sokka.

_Going to get supplies for the trip, won't be too long._

Aang shrugged it off, that was normal, and from the lack of a note from Katara, he assumed that she was still asleep. He headed back to his room, focusing on what the next step would be. In Katara's room, it revealed she wasn't asleep. She was curled up on the bed, sitting up with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes closed tightly as tears fought there way out. "Go away…nightmares just go away." She muttered, burying her head into her knees. Aang's mood was the complete opposite as he closed the door, pulling his project from his robe. He used a small stick, twisting a screw into place, his eyes focused. He let out a breath and watched as it made a full revolution. He cheered, it was working. Now for the hard part.

Sokka returned to the house, baskets full of various foods, meat, fruits, vegetable, a club that he found he liked, and a broken basket which had cost him two silver pieces. That was unpleasant. He was a bit confused, where was everyone. "Am I the only one doing anything around here?" He asked loudly and exasperated, pulling out an apple and taking a bite. "At least the foods good." He said, turning and tripping over the carpet pulling all the new stuff over onto himself. "Great, just great." He said, wondering what to expect next.

Aang heard a crash and looked up quickly, stowing his project away in his robe. He blew the door open and jumped on air scooter, flying towards the noise and sweeping past Katara. He hopped off and saw Sokka laying on the floor, buried under food eating an apple. "Oh hey guys. At least this time I'm buried in things I can eat." He said, taking another bite of the apple. Aang and Katara started laughing at him as she picked up a basket off of him. "Well that's true at least." Aang and her started unburying him, placing the food in baskets until he was unburied. "At least I didn't get mocked by a little meal this time." He said stretching and standing up. "So are we ready to go?" He asked, throwing the apple core out the window. "Yeah, let's pack up, we want to hit Chin Village before nightfall. "I'll meet you guys out there, I have something I forgot to pack." Aang said. Katara gave him a surprised look, but said nothing. In his room, Aang was searching frantically. "Okay, where is that scroll…" Aang said, muttering to himself. He found it after a few moments, rolling it up and putting it with his things. He pulled out his project and looked at again, smiling to himself. It would be done by the time they reached the South Pole.

"Aang, are you ready?" Katara asked walking into the doorway. Aang jumped, shoving the project into his robes. "Uh yeah, I'm ready." He said turning in place. "Hehheh." He muttered nervously, picking up his satchel. He hopped across the room, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Let's go, before Sokka buries himself again." He said with a grin. Katara giggled. "That's probably a good idea." Together, they headed out to Appa, hoping to find a non buried Sokka.


	6. Chapter 6

The sky was cloudy now, but dry. It seemed to have stopped raining sometime in the night. Appa was traveling at a decent speed as they headed towards Chin Village. That was some odd memory, watching Aang stand on an effigy of himself. This time hopefully nothing would be on fire.

"So Katara, are you gonna make us a nice big fancy wall with your water bending when we get home?" Sokka asked, leaning against the back of the saddle, his arms lazily supporting his head. Katara chuckled. "I guess I could start on one." She said smiling. "Would you help me Aang? I'm sure together we could make a wall like none ever seen." Looking towards the front of the saddle, no response came.

"Uhh, Aang?"

"Huh, what?" He replied looking back, blushing slightly.

"A wall in the South Pole. Would you help me build one?"

He beamed. "Of course Katara."

Daydreaming while riding a flying bison was dangerous and stupid, being caught by your friends on the back was embarrassing, but Aang hadn't learned his lesson. He had imagined himself with Katara, they were much older, her hair white, but beautiful, as she remained in her old age. They were on top of a mountain, hand in hand, looking over a great city full of Air Benders. They were their children, and the thought made him happy. At least no one knew what he was thinking about.

"There it is!" He called out, pointing to the village in the distance. "Yip yip Appa!" He said smiling, glad to have another stop before the South Pole. He was getting more nervous by the minute.

They landed softly shortly after mid day. It was a nice, cool day, the rain must have passed here already, making the place clean and fresh.

"Avatar Aang! Welcome back to Chin Village!" Greeted the mayor, last time he was going to be boiled in oil, now he was formally greeted, that a good change. "Come see what we have done with our humble village!" Sokka hopped off after Katara, looking somewhat annoyed.

"Yeah, let's just see what's so great and then get going, I want to get to Kyoshi Island." He said, sounding distracted. Aang and Katara shared a look, he was just eager to see Suki, and they all knew it. Aang offered his arm to Katara, which she took with a blush and followed an impatient mayor to see what was so special about the renovations they had done to this strange little town.

They were being taken to the site of his hearing, where he had dressed up as Kyoshi and ended up confessing to murder. That seemed so long ago now, it was hard to believe that so much had changed since then. Walking forward Aang and Katara stopped, a surprised gasp slipping from Katara.

"Aang…it's…"

"I know Katara…

Sokka ran into them unaware they had stopped, ran into them. "What are you guys…oh…" They all stared forward. In place of where the statue of Chin had stood was him. They made him out of stone in almost perfect detail.

"We started it shortly after you saved our village, and finished it after the war had ended. We figured it would be a better addition then building another one of our founder. It's our way of thanking you for what you've done Avatar." Aang smiled brightly, they actually cared, celebrated him. He never thought there would be a statue of him, but sure enough…there he was. "Thank you." He said, bowing to him. "Of course Avatar." He replied. "Now I do hope you can make the next Avatar day! We have celebrations planned!" Aang chuckled in response. "We'll do our best." He replied.

"Okay, okay, nice statue, let's go." Sokka said, turning around and walking away.

"Suki here I come." He muttered under his breath so no one would hear.

"Sokka…" Katara began. Aang touched her arm and looked up to her. She smiled at him, and understood how Sokka felt.

"Thank you for honoring me." He said as Sokka started dragging them away. "I'll visit soon!" He called out as they got further away. Katara laughed, following Sokka who was still dragging Aang away towards the sky bison and the way to Kyoshi Island.

Sokka wasted no time, taking it upon himself to climb onto Appa's head. Aang didn't protest as he helped Katara up, joining her in the saddle and immediately leaning into her. "Yip yip!" Sokka said, excitedly, obviously in a hurry to get to the island.

"It's kind of nice not having to be at the reigns." Aang said, feeling Katara stroking his cheek gently.

"It's nice to have you with me in the saddle." Katara whispered to him with a smile, kissing the side of his head gently, causing a happy sigh to escape him. From the head of the bison, Sokka could be heard muttering to himself about something. Appa let out a small roar, as if interrupting his muttering. Aang chuckled a little.

"Sounds like Appa is tired of your Suki goo goo voice." Katara joked with her. He waved his hand at them without turning, much too involved in the idea of landing at the island then anything else. Nuzzling in close, Aang closed his eyes, wondering just how it would be if time could just hurry up.

They landed softly on Kyoshi Island, outside where the Unagi resides. Once they dismounted the town people cheered, having seen the Bison from the sky.

"Well welcome back everyone." Greeted a voice from behind the crowd. Sokka leaped off of Appa's head, falling on his face before getting up and scrambling forward to meet the Kyoshi Warriors who were not walking to the front, Suki leading the pack with Hawky on her shoulder. Sokka grabbed her and spun her around.

"Suki!" He beamed, as she started laughing. "Well hello ponytail." She teased, kissing his cheek as he set her down.

"Let's get back to the town, a feast has been prepared." She said with a smile, looking at Sokka especially. "Yeah, I'm starved!" Ty Lee interjected, walking on her hands from the back of the group. Aang and Katara who were just now dismounting Appa chuckled as they watched Sokka withdraw a little from Ty Lee. Sokka took Suki's waist

"Come on lazy bones! Let's get going." Sokka said ecstatic.

"Let's go boy, you can come into town with us." Aang said to Appa as he took Katara's hand in his, leading his bison to the town while the rest preceded him.

"I am so stuffed, I don't think Appa can carry me." Aang said laying down onto the ground in their house they had been given. The feast had been the biggest outside of Ba Sing Se that the group had ever seen. Sokka still wasn't home, no one expected to see him until morning. Katara chuckled gently, and threw a head of cabbage out of the window. Crunching outside showed Appa was eating it happily.

"It definitely was good though wasn't it." She said with a smile. Aang answered her with a groan as he refused to move off the floor. Chuckling she sat down next to him, legs crossed. In a moment Aang had pushed himself off the floor and had laid his head in her lap, causing her to chuckle as she stroked his cheek. In this moment she was glad Sokka was happy with Suki, because if she made Sokka feel how she felt then nothing in the world beat it, nothing even came close. They laid there for awhile, unwilling to move from the comfortable position. The cry of a hawk broke the silence, causing them both to look up. Through the open window a prestigious looking hawk, weathered a bit, but proud. It was from the fire nation. Aang leaned forward and took the scroll and the Hawk flew out the door. Becoming serious he looked at Katara. "We need to get to the South Pole."


	7. Chapter 7

"Suki, I swear, I'm not going to wear that make up if we get married." Sokka said laughing. His arm was around her shoulders. The make up was gone off of her face, her arms wrapped around his waist, clinging to him tightly. Suki laughed. "Oh come on. If not the make up, how about the dress? If I recall, you did look quite stunning." She teased. He snorted in response, "Well I know that, but it doesn't mean I want to wear it on that occasion." Suki started giggling again until they came to a sudden stop. She looked up worried, looking towards her boyfriend.

"Sokka…what is it?" Suki asked. She gazed upward, looking to his face. He was serious, staring at the only lit building in the town, the one where he was headed. "This can't be good."

Opening the door, Sokka saw Katara and Aang sitting in a somber mood, across the table from each other, their hands clasped together, whispering. The sound of the door opening made the two look up. Katara looked away quickly, tears in her eyes, while Aang stood up looking serious.

"Aang, what's going on?" He asked looking worried.

"We need to leave. Now." He told him. "There's a rebel fleet of Fire Nation ships heading to the South Pole, and no one can stop them before they get there." Aang explained, looking down, fists balled in anger. It was then Sokka noticed the letrer, the seal of the Fire Lord stamped on it.

"Why isn't Zuko stopping it? He's still got the largest army in the world at his command!"

"There isn't time. Before there spy reported to them, the fleet was already half a continent away. We need to warn them. Prepare them for battle." He said looking up.

Sokka closed his eyes for a long moment. "I'm sorry Suki, I have to do this." He said.

"I'm coming." She replied. "I already planned on it, but didn't think it would be so soon." She said, sounding battle ready as she often did. "How long before we leave?" She asked.

"In an hour. I need to wake up Appa and he won't be happy, and we all need to pack up our things." Suki nodded. "I'll meet you here in an hour." She replied before bounding off into the night.

"Sokka…" Aang said quietly as he headed to his room. "Listen, Katara is really torn up, and there's nothing I can do. Try talking to her, you know about this kind of thing better then I do." He finished. Sokka replied with a nod. "I'll do my best." Aang turned and walked into his room, leaving Sokka to his sister.

Aang opened his eyes. He was sitting alone in his room. "If they want the Avatar, they will get him." He said before taking a breath, calming himself down. Twenty minutes past since Sokka had returned. His project was finally done, and even in the sake of the danger coming, he was proud of it. He hoped it would be perfect. Aang tucked it away once again in his robes, satchel in hand and stepped out of his room. It was empty, he figured they were each packing, which was what they were supposed to be doing, but still left the place in a very pregnant silence. He traveled outside to Appa, whom he hadn't awoken, but found awake anyway. Suki was gently scratching his chin.

"I know you." She said, as she looked up to him. "It didn't take you twenty minutes to pack." She said to him. "So why was an hour required?" She asked. Aang smiled and walked over. "I guess I have to tell someone, but only if you can keep a secret!" He said, taking a seat next to her, unable to remove the smile from his face in the loom of the darkness, not only in the sky, but in the coming events. "My lips are sealed." She said, curious as to what had him so wrapped up.

Sokka closed his eyes and lifted up his pack. He had finished a battle strategy, though it would only work if the South Pole was as he remembered it, otherwise it would need some tweaking. It was all about terrain. He clenched his fist, the war was supposed to be over, but once again, his home was threatened. It wasn't fair. His mother had already been taken from him, no one else would slip away, he wouldn't let it. His talk with Katara had been what he had expected. A lot of tears and some bruises to him. She didn't mean to, but when she was upset she tended to strike him, not in anger just out of grief. He closed his eyes and stopped himself from crying. He wouldn't cry, he had to take care of her, she was his sister. The conversation was still fresh in his mind.

"Dad…what if something happens to him…we just got him back." Katara cried out, hitting his chest as tears spilled down his chest. "Listen, nothing will, we just need to get there and prepare everyone. Aang will be with us, and we will all fight for our home land." He said. She fell into his chest and cried for their for the first time since Aang had awoken on the Fire Nation ship they had commandeered before the invasion. It was something he hoped he wouldn't have had to endure again for a long time. He opened his eyes, shaking off the memory, heading towards the bison. He couldn't dwell on it, he needed to look forward, to protecting his family.

Sokka found Aang and Suki by Appa, who was awake now and munching some hay. Suki had a gentle smile on her face and Aang seemed to be excited. Seemed opposite the mood that he had. Maybe if there family were the ones in danger they could understand. When they heard his approach there mood dropped. It was a heavy weight on them both.

"How's…" Aang's sentence was cut short by Sokka. "Later…" He said, not explaining. Katara's appearance sobered Aang up completely, making him realize how deeply this truly thrashed the children of the Water Tribe with whom he traveled.. She was dressed in traditional blue like Sokka, but looked like she had been sobbing. Aang closed his eyes for a moment and looked away. He wanted to be able to make it better, make things stop. If only he could take her in his arms and make it all go away. There was nothing more that could be said on this. They would just have to go.

"Everyone ready?" Aang asked, sitting on the bison's head, his dark mood reflecting everyone. Katara sat in the saddle, her back to a corner, knees at her chest. Suki was curled against Sokka in a corner. No response was heard immediately. "Let's go Aang." Suki said finally. No one else seemed willing to speak with what was to come. Maybe this would just turn out to be a bad dream, or a miscommunication. Aang's optimism had just about run out.

"Yip yip boy." Aang said with a heavy sigh. "I have a feeling this is going to be a very long night." There was a growl from him as he took off into the cool night sky.


	8. Chapter 8

The air only got colder as the gang flew South. There was no sound from the back. Even Momo hadn't made a sound. "You know the way boy. I'm going to the saddle." He said patting the buffalo's head. He climbed up off the head and back into the saddle. He was tired, there was no doubt about that, but wasn't sure if he could sleep. Sokka was holding his boomerang, looking it over in the crescent moon as Suki leaned against him. Momo was laying on Katara's leg, which were outstretched. She was looking out to the open air , down towards the ocean below. Aang took a seat next to her, unsure if he was allowed to touch her. She had been very distant since they had received the letter. He gently put his hand on her arm and squeezed it, unsure of what to do. She turned to look at him, her eyes distant. Without a word she leaned into him. He wrapped an arm around her and closed his eyes. Maybe this would be the end of it. After the ending of the fleet of Fire Nation ships was put down things could finally be quiet for them. He longed for it, and he was sure they did too, more then him. They had lived with it longer then he had, and he could not imagine. Aang kissed the top of her hair, unsure if she remained awake or asleep. They would figure this out, they had to.

The sun was rising as they reached the South Pole. It was still small and quaint as they had left it, but it looked like more people had settled there. That was interesting to say the least. At least it was growing Sokka thought to himself. Suki had fallen asleep on the ride here but the sun was waking her up. She shook the drowsiness away and looked over the side. "It's beautiful." Suki said, seeing the snow caped over the ground and the blue dwellings in which they resided. She was right, it was beautiful, if only it was on the happy terms they had wanted it to be. Sokka looked across the saddle and saw Aang and Katara sitting together. They had a single hand embraced between them, but were both awake. His sister looked over the bison at her home. He had to admit that he was excited. He wouldn't have to wonder where his next meal was coming from, or sleeping in caves. He could be with his family now, as long as they survived the coming battle. They would, they had too. He watched Aang walk away and hop floatily onto the bison's head, feeling them descend. The first person he saw outside was Gran Gran. He closed his eyes, a tear coming to it. Finally he was home.

Appa walked away after dumping their supplies next to them. He was tired, that was the obvious reasoning for it. Aang followed his pet, going around the back. They needed their moment, the monk knew that. He would make a place for Appa to sleep happily and then return. Nothing but grave news to share on his part. He found a big patch of empty snow with a large building a good ways away. Aang took a careful stance and started bending the snow. He began making an igloo big enough for two Bison's. It took him around five minutes to complete, but it was done. He had moved the snow off the ground and warmed it up, moving a big palette of vegetables he had brought with him. "Sleep well boy. We will need you sooner then I'd hope." Appa let out a roar and walked into the igloo, collapsing on the ground.

Back at the campsite, something very different was going on. Katara walked to her grandmother, stopping a foot away from her. Last time she had seen her, everything was different. She had just been an innocent, inexperienced water bender. Now she was a war hero, and a master of the art. She embraced her tightly.

"Gran gran…it's so good to see you." Her grandmother hugged her back when another voice was heard followed by a thud. Sokka had just hugged their father. Backing away from her grandmother she looked to her father, whom Sokka was backing away from and immediately ran to him. She hugged him tightly, tears flowing once again.

"Katara…I missed you, so much." He said, his eyes closed tightly. "I'm not leaving again, I promise." He told her.

"I know." She said, thinking of what they would have to say, so soon after they got back. It wasn't a good situation. She pulled away from her father, looking towards the sound of crunching snow. Aang had returned, and was talking to Suki by where Appa had landed. Sokka's voice broke the silence.

"We need to talk to you about something." He looked over to Aang who closed his eyes and nodded, Suki following him. "Let's go inside, out of the cold, I'm sure things will go better over tea." Kanna said.

Aang knew he would have to do this, say it. He didn't want that weight on the children who had just returned home, regardless if they were older. He stepped inside the building last of all. Pakku was sitting at the table, drinking a cup of tea. He seemed oblivious to the fact that everyone in the room was tense. Kanna passed out cups full of hot tea to everyone. Sokka and Katara took seats around their father, Kanna next to Pakku. Suki stood in the corner and Aang approached the table.

"I wish I didn't have to greet you all like this, but you are all in danger." He started.

Hakoda's voice spoke up almost immediately. "What do you mean?"

"There's a fleet of Fire Nation ships heading here right now, and there's nothing stopping them. They will be here by tomorrow morning at the rate they are traveling." He said. There was a heavy silence in the room.

"Well, this will be a challenge with it being a new moon, but if we survived the Siege of the North Pole, we can survive the siege of the south pole too." Pakku said, speaking for the first time.

"Pakku's right, we should gather our forces, we can put up a good stand right here." Hakoda said, taking charge. "You kids rest, You must have flown all night. We will prepare for the morning." He said, standing up. "We won't be separated again, I promise." These words were aimed at his children.

"Here dad, I came up with a strategy." Sokka replied, giving him the scroll. He gave him a proud smile. "I'm sure this will be useful Sokka, thank you." The father replied. As he left, Aang followed, he needed to talk to him about something, and then he would sleep.

It was midday before Aang woke up. It was a bleak day, the calm before the storm. He slipped into the main living area of the house and found Katara talking to Kanna. She seemed to be happy about it. That was good, it had been awhile since they had seen each other, and she was basically the mother figure. Aang left without disturbing them, stepping into the snow. No one was there either. Activity was mostly focused around a large igloo which if Aang wasn't mistaken, was where they were planning there defense for the attack. Leaping into the air, Aang opened his glider, he wanted to see something. He landed shortly after he left, it was still here. He was standing at the face of the iceberg which once held him. It had broken apart, but the mass of it remained. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, wiping tears away. He had almost failed the world by running away, and lost all his people. He also would have never met Katara, and it was almost worth it. He knew it was selfish to the world to say that, but he truly loved her, and she was what made life worth living. Looking up to the sky he pondered what they were up against. He almost fell over. There was a Fire nation balloon overhead. Aang quickly used his glider, this couldn't be good. He did a full loop and shot straight up, adjusting his angle to come at it from behind and almost dropped his glider.

"No way…"

Katara sat outside on an ice bench she made, drinking some tea with her Gran Gran. She had missed these talks more then she had admitted to anyone.

"Hello Kanna." A woman greeted. She was older, probably a little older than her father. She had long black hair, and for some reason seemed familiar.

"Well hello Bedisa." Kanna greeted happily. "This is my granddaughter, Katara." She introduced. The woman bowed and Katara bowed in return. "You have a lovely grandmother Katara, she has been such a nice woman since I've come here." Katara bent the ice to make another bench across from them. The woman looked taken aback, but sat down after a moment. She obviously wasn't used to water bending. "Bedisa joined us after her Earth Kingdom colony was attacked by raiders and found Bato on the shore. He escorted her here." She gave a friendly smile and looked away for a moment, it was as if something was dwelling on her mind. "Something was taken from you wasn't it? In the fire nation raid." Katara said. "The Fire Nation is responsible for a lot of things in my life." She said holding back tears. There was a heavy silence before the unmistakable sound of Aang's glider broke the silence. "Zuko's here!" He said running over. "And he's brought us reinforcements!"

Katara, Sokka and Aang watched as the fire balloon landed on the soft snow. Zuko hopped out first. He was not dressed as royalty, but as a warrior, it made him look regal. Iroh was behind him, dressed in what seemed like relaxing clothes as opposed to war garments and seemed to be coaxing someone out. After what seemed like an argument, Toph climbed out of the back.

"Toph!" The group yelled and hurried over. "Ugh, I hate snow." Were the first words to escape from her mouth. She was quickly engulfed in a group hug and Iroh could be heard chuckling. "I hope we aren't too late to beat back the rebellion." He said. Sokka turned to look at Aang. "You said reinforcements, and this is all we got?"

"I didn't say a lot of reinforcements."

Toph jumped in. "I wasn't going to miss this for the world!" She said with a cheer. Katara looked back to her Gran Gran, noticing that the woman had left, leaving her grandmother in a confused daze.

"Come on Toph, I want you to meet my Grandmother." Katara said, taking her hand, and dragging the poor blind girl through the snow.


	9. Chapter 9

Zuko looked around the crowd of Water Tribesman and felt a little bit of irony. Last time he was here, he had assaulted an old lady and had been hunting the Avatar. Now he was here to help the Avatar, welcomed by everyone. What a change.

"I'm sorry I couldn't bring more people. This is the last airship we had. All the others were destroyed during the attack over the summer. I believe Sokka, Suki and Toph are responsible for that?" He said to them with a small grin on his face, entertained that Sokka was in on that. Sokka puffed his chest out as if he was very proud, causing Suki to giggle and his dad to pat him on the back. He looked around, most were unfamiliar faces, but yet all seemed welcoming to him and his advice.

"This attack is being led by an unknown group." He said simply. We just know they are getting a large following and are headed this way full steam."

"What are we up against Zuko?" He asked him. He answered with a shrug. "There's at least ten ships, and since some of the others have lost touch, I'm guessing that more have joined them. The Fire Nation navy is on the way, but they won't be here until either late tomorrow or the day after, and that's only a handful of them, the closest I could muster." He explained.

"Thank you Zuko." Hakoda responded. He was in charge, there was no disputing this. "We are still working on the same strategy, but with Iroh, Zuko and Toph, we have a bit more to work with. I'm sure we can take care of things, especially with the Avatar here." All eyes went to Aang who blushed a little but said nothing.

"Meeting adjourned." Zuko left the meeting, feeling his broadswords hitting the armor on his leg. This wasn't the first place he had wanted to travel, not to fight against his own people, he wanted to find his mother. His father had no idea where she was, that he believed, and he couldn't abuse his entire nation's fleet for that purpose, but it was hard to hit nothing on it.

"Zuko, thank you for coming." Katara's voice rang out interrupting his thoughts. He looked back, seeing Aang a good five feet behind her, waiting. She gave him a hug which he returned. "I still have retribution. I figure I helped mess this place up a little when I first got here, might as well make up for it now." He said with a smile. She returned it and ran to join Aang. Tomorrow would be a new day, and yet another battle.

Aang, Pakku and Katara stood at the water's edge, looking at each other. This is the way they would be coming. Together they moved the ice, the wall becoming taller and taller, thicker and thicker. It was pure white and covered only a third of the space they needed. They moved over and bent again, the same technique again and again, building the wall that they needed to help the defenses. Once it was done, they all were sitting behind it.

"Well that was the easy part." Pakku said breaking the silence. He looked over to Katara who was looking at her hands. Aang had flown to the other side, saying he wanted to bend the water tribe symbol to the front. "Katara, listen. I have lived through many battles, and with what I have seen you do, and what I have heard you have done, you shouldn't be worried." He said to her. "We don't have the moon on our side this time, seeing it will be new this time of month, but we do have Aang, who is a fully realized Avatar now. Just believe in him, as you always have, and we will pull through." Katara looked up to him, tears on her cheeks and hugged the old man.

"Thank you grandpa." She said. He smiled and patted her back gently. "Of course Katara." He said, watching as Aang returned to them. "Wanna see it?" He asked looking proud of himself. They chuckled together. "Sure, let's go see."

Across the water tribe Kanna gently rapped on Bedisa's door, worried about the woman. "Bedisa, are you alright? After Aang returned you ran off." There was silence for a few moments and the old lady began to leave before the door opened. Her face was tear stained and she was holding a drawing that was facing towards the distressed woman. "I need to confess something to you, and I just hope you won't look at me differently after I do." Kanna's kind eyes looked at her for a moment.

"Let's talk Bedisa, you seem to really need it. She entered the house as Bedisa moved aside, closing the door behind the two of them.

"Should I do the face make up or the headdress?" Sokka asked Suki, lifting up the wolf which he had worn more recently, and the black and gray makeup he had worn in the past. Suki leaned back on Sokka's bed with a smile. "Well you could always do both." She said looking at him as he turned away. "Ugh, I don't know." He said looking in the ice mirror that he had. Suki interrupted his thoughts.

"How about you come over here and relax huh?" She said to him. He turned and smiled at her, laying down next to her on the bed. She moved close into him and his arms went around her. "You will know when the time is right, but for me, I'm not wearing a dress in this weather, that I know." She joked slightly with him.

"Well that's okay." Sokka said with a small grin. "You'll look stunning in water blue." He gently kissed her, one of his hand reaching up to hold her cheek.

"I think that is what I needed." Sokka said looking at her after the kiss chuckling. She smacked his arm playfully and said nothing, simply kissing him again.

Dinner was a large affair that night, almost everyone fitting around the small table in Hakoda's house. Zuko's fire bending made cooking really easy on them, and Kanna's skills were greatly enjoyed. She made a dish called sinigang, which really warmed the group up. It was no quiet affair to be sure. Momo had tried to steal some bites of his own, leading to Aang making a ball of wind to entertain him, tricking the lemur outside. He returned with a long white beard causing everyone to laugh. Iroh made some delicious oolong tea for after dinner, which everyone drank. To their pleasant surprise, he also was more up to date with jokes than Zuko was, even though Zuko could be funny in his own way without trying. As night came the nervousness returned to them. Tomorrow they would be attacked, it would not be an easy day. Zuko and Iroh were the first to leave. They had some tents to set up and ground to thaw. Toph was going to stay with Appa in the igloo because she was feeling lazy, while Suki and Sokka had slipped away before they finished tea. Katara and Aang were left at the table, sitting together. Her head was gently leaning on his shoulder, as he laid soft kisses in her hair. "Everything will be alright tomorrow, I promise." He told her closing his eyes. If only he could make that a promise instead of empty words.

No one slept well that night. By dawn everything was prepared. Katara had extra water satchels filled up, Sokka received a sword from his father, and Zuko was testing the balloon and Aang was out scouting. Everything was set, but no one was speaking. Suki came forward with Appa following, and Toph broke the silence. "Let's kick some rebel Fire Nation butt!" She yelled. It went silent though, no one responded. Her attempt at helping had failed. She shrugged. "It was worth a try." She climbed back in the balloon with Iroh and Zuko, ready to go.

"Everyone to your positions!" Hakoda cried out after Aang landed next to him. It didn't seem like this was going to go as smoothly as he had hoped. There were at least a dozen ships, all heavily armed. Pakku shot to the top of the wall while Sokka and Suki leapt on Appa, Katara went to join her old master and Aang grabbed her sleeve.

"Wait, I need to talk to you." He said, looking at her seriously.

Appa took off into the air and they were once again alone.

"What is it Aang?" She asked nervously.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was harder than he had hoped. "I know we are both young. I know that our lives together have been nothing but filled with war and our lives were only sometimes guaranteed."

"But Katara, there is one thing I'm sure of, and it is that I love you. I have loved you since you saved me from the iceberg." From his robe he pulled out a medallion. From his hand twisted a blue and orange cord that hung a pendant which spun in it's metal holding, one side blue, with the water tribe symbol, the other grey with the air nomad's symbol. "Marry me Katara."


	10. Chapter 10

Katara stared at Aang in blatant shock, the medallion in her hand. Had he just…no way.

"Aang…I."

He looked at her nervously.

"I don't know." She said looking down. She could almost feel the drop in his mood from him.

"We just got together…and there is a battle starting, and I don't know." There was silence from him. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, knowing that he wouldn't take this well.

"I need time to think about this Aang." She said looking up to him. He was looking away from her. It was killing her inside. She wanted to marry him, but, she wasn't sure if she was ready for it, it seemed like such a big step, and everything in their lives weren't calm yet.

"The ships are here! Prepare for battle!" Hakoda yelled from his perch on the top of the tower. Aang leapt in the air, opened his glider and flew off without another word. Katara hoped she hadn't made a big mistake.

Aang flew into the cold air taking deep breaths. He felt like he couldn't breathe. He wanted to curl up into a ball and never be seen again. Why couldn't she answer? It was a yes or no answer, not metal bending. He took a deep breath and shoved it down. I needed to focus, find the flag ship, and take it down, it would be the heaviest guarded of the ships, and could end this battle before it got too bad. The dozens of ships below him was daunting, but he was high enough to avoid their notice. In the back of them all was something Aang had never seen. It was huge, like five of the ships put together, armed to the hilt. This was bad, very bad. He looped into the air getting height, this was going to get worse before it got better.

Katara joined Pakku over the wall. Her mind was still on Aang, he was nowhere to be found, but that didn't matter. The ships shooting balls of fire at them were the main concern. Some were exploding in midair though, due to Zuko and Iroh interrupting them. It was good to have fire benders on your side sometimes. She ran across the water as did her old master, she made the first move, cart wheeling forward, causing a blade of water to lift, shooting it forward at tremendous speed. It cleaved the ship in two, but the water bender had moved on, joining Pakku, who was running around a ship. She joined him, causing a maelstrom and then freezing it in place. This was just the beginning, and there were ships slipping past them, just too many for the two of them alone. The waiting troops could fight, and it looked like they would have too.

Iroh and Zuko had their hands full punishing the fireballs that were being launched there way, and Toph was looking anxious. "Where's the closest ship?" She asked. "About ten feet in front of us and about…"Zuko didn't finish his sentence as Toph leaped out of the balloon. Iroh blocked another fireball with a firebomb. Toph was insane, but it definitely made watching her a sight to see. If only he could see what she was going to do to ship, it would be entertaining. "Uncle, take out that trebuchet, I"ll defend you." Iroh drew lightning and launched it, causing the artillery to explode as Zuko redirected a fireball into another ship. This was worse then he had imagined. Something wasn't right, this was no rebellion, this was a plan.

Toph landed on the metal deck of the ship coating herself in metal quickly as fire met her entirety, she gave a strong kick to the largest object, hurling it backward. Several yells broke through making her smile beneath the armor.

"Direct hit." She said, thrusting her arm upward to create a metal shield before propelling it in a spiral which she turned to an orb, bowling over more enemies. She dashed forward slamming her fists down causing a tremor to open across the deck, the crew falling to the open deck below. Toph launched herself across, having a good idea of a use to make of this ship she had just commandeered. Hopefully Iroh would be back to pick her up, because this would be a bumpy ride.

Suki and Sokka were flying at a dramatic pace on Appa, the whistle on a rope around his neck. She leaped off onto a ship, stomping someone to the ground while he threw his boomerang, making an enemy drop his weapon. He caught it and rolled onto the ships surface, sword drawn. He fought his way through three men, hearing a scared yell of a man behind him, he turned to see Suki roundhouse kicking someone into the water. "Wow I love you." He said with a grin, running to the main deck, planning to take this ship by the helm then return to Appa. This was just like old time it seemed. First in the air, now in water. Some things never seemed to change.

Hakoda was at the tip of the wall, weapons drawn as the first ships reached the shore. They were greeted with fireballs, easily deflected with their shields. Soldiers poured from the ships in tens and twenties, and the water tribesman met their blades, fighting through them. It was no easy task, striking down man after man. It seemed as soon as one ship would empty another would dock.

"For our homeland!" Hakoda yelled, raging back into the throws of warfare, wanting only to see his children safe again.

Aang flew towards the flag ship, dodging fireballs as he went. He needed to shut it down. Quickly, the battle was already in full swing. When he got close enough to the ship Aang swung his foot, folding his glider and sliced it. His foot causing a stream of air to destroy a trebuchet, the blade of wind destroying another. At least fifty men filed on to meet him as he landed. Aang took a fighting stance before he heard laughter from the back. "How cliché, the avatar has returned to defend something, but it doesn't need to be defended." From the back ten people walked forward carrying water skins. "You…you are water benders…why are you attacking us?" He asked shocked, not dropping his stance. "This isn't about the South Pole you fool, this is about the Fire Nation. We want to capture the Fire Lord!" The leader said staring at Aang menacingly.

Sometimes it was nice to be blind Toph thought to herself, shooting shrapnel from the deck to launch it towards enemies. The cries that came told her she'd hit her mark. Not a pretty sight she was sure. Reaching the engine room of the first ship, using the vibrations of her footstep to find the wheel. She turned it hard, following the sound of attack. She would drive this ship into the others, just hopefully they would get her off this thing before her mission was complete. She grinned running out of the main deck, kicking an unconscious enemy into the air using metal bending, she did this again to a conscious one who yelled out.

"If this doesn't get their attention I don't know what will." She said to herself laughing as she sent another two into the air.

Iroh spotted the second body to fly through the air. "Nephew, I believe Toph is signaling us." Sure enough, a third body came flying through the air and an unarmored Toph was the reason for it. They lowered quickly, Iroh dispatching more balls of fire. She got in quickly, watching the ship slam into the others.

"Well done." Iroh said with an impressed voice.

"Well, ya know." She said grinning.

"Uncle, we need to head back, too many are ahead of us." He nodded, Iroh taking the other side as Zuko changed directions. Iroh took the offensive, raining fire down onto the ships that had slipped by. This was not good, the rebellion was bigger then they had thought. It seemed like this was much more then a simple rebellion, but what could it be?

Suki turned the gears up to max as Sokka got slammed through the door. "Suki, hurry up, there's too many of them." He said as his sword met another before he dropped it on the back of his head, the man crumpling to the ground. She turned the wheel as hard as she could.

"Okay, let's go." She said, throwing her folded fan as a projectile, catching a soldier in the temple making him drop. Sokka was blowing the bison's whistle as Suki caught up to him, grabbing her fan. "I'm sure Toph is done by now, we need to meet my dad back at the shore." He told Suki. She kissed him swiftly as they headed towards the buffalo.

Aang stared at all the troops around him. "Why? You have been fighting a war, and you want to start another?" He said crying out. The leader stepped forward. He had a small tuft of hair on his chin. "We aren't starting a war." He said looking around. "We are going to capture the Fire Nation and make sure it never happens again!" He said angrily, the boat shifting beneath them.

"This upsets the balance. I will have to stop you. Please, just call off the attack now and leave, we can forget all about this."

The man wasn't hearing it, he shook his head at Aang. "Sorry Avatar, we are going through with our plan, and unlike Ozai, there are more of us and we aren't so cocky." He said, the entire group casting out water at the Avatar.


	11. Chapter 11

Appa swung his tail and swept half a dozen enemies into the water as Suki and Sokka leaped off to join the battle. Suki swept in, following her most recent training, hitting pressure points along the arms of attackers and stopping their movement. Wow, that was really useful. The sky became dark for a moment, looking up a large fireball was falling towards them. Suddenly it exploded in place, ashes sprinkling down upon them, Zuko and Iroh had their back. As another ship went to dock ice spikes rose up from the depths, lifting the ships straight up. Katara and Pakku had returned.

"We can't stop them all, we will join the fight here." Pakku said as the slid across the snow.

"We will not fall!" Hakoda yelled out triumphantly as they ran forward to meet the oncoming troops from the now stranded ship.

Aang threw his hands out to his side making the water burst from it's whip state into pure water, but the water benders had control, turning it to ice and shooting darts at him. Aang blew some off course and dodged the fireballs that other crew members sent at him. This was bad, he could take out the fire benders, but the water benders were different, he had never fought one like this before, let alone ten. He only had one choice. He was quickly being surrounded.

"Goodbye Avatar." The leader said.

Aang's eyes and tattoo's glowed, the fireballs and ice spikes that were about to fall on his head didn't matter, a blast of air surrounded his, blasting it away from him. He started spinning the arms fast. He lifted up first, a tornado beneath him, knocking everyone off balance, he moved his arms faster and the ship started lifting beneath them, a tornado enveloping them. "I told you to leave in peace." He said. "Now you have no choice but to leave." He said, continuing to lift them up. The water benders shot water at him from all angles, but the Avatar was ready, whipping an arm out and turning it to vapor with a blast of heat. They lifted further and further into the sky, the water not following. He pushed the ship away from the south pole, the freighter beginning to spin slowly in the windstorm. He leaned forward, keeping them airborne, launching them away from the south pole.

On the shore the battle came to a halt as more and more people saw the giant ship floating into the air. Swords were drawn and ships were slowing. The main ship was down, the rest were retreating or surrendering. A cheer of victory escaped the water tribe, but one was not cheering. Katara's eyes watched the ship spiraling out of sight. She would have to face him again now. She pulled out the medallion, which had a new weight to it, possibly tied to her heart. Tears slowly fell down her eyes. She still didn't have an answer, what was she going to do.

Aang kept them spiraling towards the shore, he knew where to put them. He lifted them up higher, spinning over land, a forest below them, being blown by the intense wind storm. He found a mountain, pushing them higher and higher until he found a chasm big enough. He released the ship, and watched as it fell into the chasm. He landed on a rock and looked down, magnifying his voice when he spoke.

"I never want to see you near the Fire Nation or the South Pole again!" He said, opening his glider and taking off into the air. Now the journey back home. Home…did he even have one? He felt tears sliding down his face. He couldn't see Katara right now, not if she was just going to give him an I don't know. There was nothing more he could do at the South Pole, he needed to find his place somewhere else.

A banquet was being thrown for excitement, the only thing missing was Aang, the feast had already started though, Sokka being starved. "Anyone seen Aang?" He asked with a mouthful. Toph laughed. "I've never seen him." Everyone else followed with a laugh. It was almost nightfall now, and he still hadn't been seen, no one knew how far he went, must have had something to do though. Sokka walked over to Appa, who was laying down looking at the stack of vegetables he hadn't eaten.

"Hey boy, wanna go back to your igloo?" Sokka asked, finishing the biscuit he was eating. The bison roared with approval as the young water tribesman started walking with the air bender's partner.

Bedisa slowly looked over the crowd, finding the newly crowned Fire Lord sitting at a table aside from the rest, he was looking out into the distance. His uncle was a good ways away from him, chatting with Kanna. She took a deep breath and walked over. She was trembling, she couldn't do this…he must hate her. She took a long breath and started forward again, the blue of the dress still feeling weird. She was closer now, but he wasn't looking. Maybe that is what helped her, another few feet, that's all it was. She took a few more steps. She was in speaking range now.

"Zuko…" She said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. She had to try again, she had to know. She stepped forward a few feet, she was close now. "Zuko." She said. The young fire bender turned to look at her and his mouth fell open, his eyes widening.

"Mom?"

Aang put his glider away, wiping his eyes, this would be the last time he would see the South Pole, for who knew how long. He had used cloud cover to slip in unnoticed. He had written a letter to Katara, planning on leaving it in Appa's igloo so that it could be found and given to her. This plan went awry when he saw Sokka with his bison. "Aang, what's going on?" Sokka said running over, looking worried. "Where've you been, we've been worried sick?" He said. Aang had a flat expression on his face, and the bison walked over to him. "Since you're here Sokka, give this to your sister." Aang said, handing him the letter and mounting the bison. He was about to take off when Sokka grabbed him. "You're leaving? We just got here!" He said aggressively. "You don't understand, don't try too, I'm just leaving." He said. Sokka grabbed him more firmly. "No, you aren't." Aang twisted his hand and blasted the water tribesman off the buffalo. "Goodbye Sokka." He said, before commanding the bison into the night sky.

Zuko stared at his mother, unable to move. She was here…at the South Pole. That couldn't…that wasn't…no.

"I know you may not want to see me…but I had to tell you I was here. Alive, and I had to know that you were alive." He leapt up and embraced her, tears falling down his cheeks. "Mom. I've missed you. So much." He said as his mother held him in return. "What's going on? Why are you here?" He asked her, pulling away reluctantly to look at her. She took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I was living in an Earth Kingdom town when the fire nation attacked ironically. I met a water tribesman named Bato and he said there was safety in the South Pole so I came with him. They accepted me here, and even though it's cold…it's pleasant." He hugged her again, more tears falling down his face, and more from hers.

"You can come home mom, with me, or whenever you want. I've missed you."

Katara was sitting with her family, all except Sokka who hadn't returned yet. She was smiling, her father telling the story of how he'd met their mother, noting the spot on the back of his head that still had a lump because of Bato. Her grandmother's kind smile was the light of the table. She had missed her grandmother so much, this was wonderful. The woman's face fell when she looked away from the group in the fire light. Katara turned to find why her grandmother was no longer amused. Sokka was walking towards them, snow on his shoulders and some on his head, a heavy look on his face. Katara walked over and he held out the letter. "It's from Aang." He told her. "He's gone."

Silence engulfed them all, Katara was shaking as she took the letter from him. He was…gone. She took a deep breath, sorrow filling her, showing as rage. "Why didn't you stop him?" She said, leaping up and walking towards Sokka heavily. He caught her hands when she raised them. "Katara, I tried! He blew clean off of Appa." He said, his voice getting quiet as he let go of her hands, looking down. "I'm sorry Katara, I tried." He said. She walked away from the group, unable to speak, unrolling the parchment. His handwriting was sloppy, the page marked by tear stains.

_Katara_

_ I'm sorry, but I can't stay. I understand that you need time to accept and think over things. I will give you that time, but I can't be here while you look over at me in confusion and wonder what will happen. It is with a heavy heart that I have made this decision. I may be back, but I don't know, for now, I have to say goodbye._

_ Aang_

More tears slid down her face, heavier and faster then before. She fell onto her knees, dropping the letter and wrapping her arms around her chest. She couldn't control the sobs escaping her. He was gone, after everything they had fought for, everything they had been through, he was gone, and no one knew where he was. She closed her eyes and willed it all to go away as she cried in the snow, under the moonless night.


	12. Chapter 12

Iroh looked for his nephew. He was the only one at this point who had not heard of the Avatar's departure. A good distance away he found him sitting with a woman Iroh had never thought to see again. He walked over slowly, hearing laughter from Zuko, a sound that made him smile. Ursa was here though…after all this time, she was alive, and well even.

"Ursa, it's good to see you." Iroh said approaching them. She stood up from her knees. "And you Iroh." She greeted before hugging him. He returned it for a moment. "Join us please Uncle." The fire lord beckoned. He sat with them, seeing the spark of life in his nephews face. "I am glad that in the recent darkness there is light to be found." The older gentleman said. Zuko looked towards him.

"What do you mean uncle? The battle?"

Iroh shook his head. "The Avatar has left the South Pole." He said. Zuko shared a look with his uncle. This wasn't good for the world. An unhappy Avatar was a dangerous thing.

Aang arrived at his destination after midnight, the familiar place being ever so haunting in the darkness. "Go rest Appa, I don't feel like sleeping." The bison walked away as Aang crossed his legs.

"Avatar Kuruk, I need your advice." He said, beckoning the spirit of the last water bending avatar to appear.

"Hello Aang." The avatar greeted. "What is it you need?"

"I need to ask you a question. I need your advice and I think you are the best to understand. I proposed to Katara earlier this day, and she couldn't give me an answer. I couldn't stay without an answer, but now I feel guilty for abandoning them. Was I wrong to leave?"

The man took a deep breath, looking up to Aang from his wolf skin armor. "Aang, the water benders are a fickle people. Me and my kind change like the tides, ebbing and flowing to it's own rhythm. You are hurt young Avatar, and given the abilities bestowed upon you, it could be dangerous. It is safest for you to be away while you gather your feelings. Do not give up hope for her though, as with all my people, and water itself, time will cause it to rest where it truly belongs." He said before looking away. "Do not give up on her young one, but you need to be patient, without it, nothing good will come. I offer you this wisdom. Be patient, and everything will fall into place."

Aang sighed as he vanished into the air. More tears starting to fall down his cheeks. He needed to wait, that he could do, he would wait for her for eternity.

A knock rang out through the silent house. It was morning now at the South Pole. Hakoda was rapping on his daughters door. She needed to talk this out, whether she wanted to or not. "Katara, open the door, please." Silence was his response, he shook his head, she couldn't stay in their forever. After a moment he heard the shuffle of feet, and the door slid open. He saw her back as she returned to her bed. It hadn't been slept in, the blanket was twisted up, and he had the idea she had been sitting up all night with her arms around her knees like she was now. He stepped in slowly, his daughter not looking up at him. He turned and closed the door before sitting on the bed with her.

"What happened Katara?" He asked her softly, looking at her tear stained face which was mostly hidden by hair. She looked away from him, giving him the feeling that she had started crying again. Mercy this wasn't easy.

"I know he proposed Katara." He said. "So what happened to make him leave?" Hakoda asked. She looked to him finally, tears still falling, a look of surprise on her face. He was getting somewhere. "He asked me shortly after he arrived, wanting to see if it was okay." He continued. "He showed the necklace he had made, and wanted my approval because I am your father." He said. "And I gave it to him. He is a caring, young man, whom I can see loves you very much. So tell me, what happened?"

She looked up to her father finally. "I couldn't answer him." She choked out. "It seemed so sudden, and the battle was starting and the war just being over, I can't think straight." She said, putting her head between her knees again, her body shaking. Hakoda took his daughter in his arms. She leaned into him, her arms going around him as she sobbed into his chest. He felt something against his back, she was holding something. He didn't need to even guess what it was.

"Maybe you have your answer." He said to her. "If it hurts you this bad for him to be gone, then perhaps that should be contributed." He told her. She looked up to him. "It's not that easy dad." She said.

"I'm not saying it is, but remember, he may not wait forever. You need to make your decision, it's not fair to keep him waiting." Her father said, giving her a tight hug. "Just think about it." He smiled slightly before leaving Katara to her thoughts.

Aang stepped into a place he hadn't been, in over a year. He closed his eyes, feeling the sting of tears on his face. "Gyatso." He said to himself. The body was unchanged from what it had been. It was time to give him a proper burial. This was bitter work, but he needed to do it. It was the best way to gain closure for good. He had an idea, a burial worthy of his surrogate father. He took a deep breath and opened his glider. It would be known by everyone, far and wide, how important this monk was. Aang flew off into the air, knowing exactly what he would do, but not knowing how long it would take.

Sokka looked over at his girlfriend. Suki was leaning against a wall, sharpening one of her fans. She had been doing that a lot recently, it was a sure sign she was worried. It had been over a week since the attack on his home, and no word from Aang. Katara was now teaching young water benders, but she was very quiet, speaking very little. No one dared to say anything, for last time Sokka had tried, he had ended up in an ice crater. Iroh had stayed at the South Pole for now. Bedisa, or Ursa, as we found her name to be, didn't want to leave her new home, but Zuko had no choice. He was Fire lord, and caught the first ship of his that arrived and turned it around. Those who attacked had been arrested, and nothing had been heard of the flagship.

"Any idea where he is Sokka? I mean, if he was with people we would have heard." Suki said, looking up to him, once again concerned.

"With people…" Sokka said to himself. Where would the air bender have gone without people. It struck him in that moment, there was no other place he would have gone. Standing up he said. "I know where he is."

Aang looked at the mountain side he had just left. It was a burial worthy of Gyatso, given it had taken three days of hard work. He wiped more tears that tried to come to his eyes. That was enough, he was done crying. It was a short trip back to his current sanctuary, he had even taken residence in his old room. Seemed ominous, but what else could he do? There was nothing left for him elsewhere. If he was needed they would find him, he was almost sure of that. What did it matter though? Nothing did to him anymore. He had nothing left in this world to live for. He had lost it all. He closed his eyes, sitting on the edge of the temple and started meditating, he needed to find his own peace, and maybe this was the way.

Katara looked down at her students, panting for breath, and completely drenched in water. They were having control issues and she couldn't deal with it today, her temper was shorter than it had been recently. She wished she had her first student back. She willed the tears away. He had ran away because of her indecision. Who was wrong? It didn't matter, all she knew is she missed him, she needed him back. "Class dismissed." She said, turning around and walking away, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. Her braid's were sloppy now, she couldn't seem to get them right, her mind always elsewhere. The crunching of snow stole her attention from her inner monologue. Turning around she saw Sokka running at her, with Suki chasing him looking doubtful.

"I know…I know where he is…" Sokka panted out of breath.

Katara felt her heart leap inside her chest.

"What…?" She questioned slowly, reluctant to believe her brother.

"The Southern Air Temple…" He said taking a big breath before standing up properly. "It's the only place he would go. He has to be there."

She took a deep breath, her hand clamping into a fist. "Let's go get him." She said, feeling a renewed vigor.

Iroh sat with Ursa having tea. It was strange seeing his sister-in-law, especially after everything that had happened. He knew she had stolen the crown from him, but he had never wanted it in the first place. He knew his destiny lay with his nephew, the spirits had told him that. It was a quiet affair, but it was gentle, nice. Seemed like everything was just now starting to come together. A knock on her door made them both look up. "Who could that be?" She asked looking at him before rising and opening the door.

"Sorry to bother you Ursa." Katara said. "Is Iroh in here?"

Iroh walked over to the door, his eyebrows raised. "I'm here, what do you need?" He asked her. "I need you and your balloon. I know where Aang is and I need to go see him." Iroh and Ursa exchanged a look before he turned back to her. "Okay, get ready, I'll meet you by the balloon in five minutes."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Sokka asked, following Katara who was carrying a satchel with her. "No Sokka, I need to do this alone."

He reached her, grabbing her shoulder. "Listen, I know what happened, dad told me, and maybe it's best if you don't go by yourself, just think about it." She shook him off and walked forward, stopping after a step.

"I have to fix this, this is my fault, and I don't need my brother trying to fix my problems for me. I'm going with Iroh, alone, and I will find Aang." She heard a sigh from Sokka and knew she had won. "Just be careful Katara…and don't be rash." He said, concern evident in his voice. "I'll see you in a few days she said, walking towards the awaiting fire nation ex general.

"Ready to go?" He asked her, watching as she climbed in the balloon without a response. "I'll take that as a yes." He climbed in and lit the pilot, starting to make the balloon lift up.

"We are going to the Southern Air Temple. Do you know how to get there?" She asked looking at him as she leaned against the basket. He responded with a nod. "I went there with Zuko back before we first landed here in fact." He said to her. She nodded and looked over the basket at the water which was shrinking below them.

It was mostly silent as they floated through the sky in the balloon. "Do you know what you are going to say when you see him?" He asked her. Her silent form turned away from the open air and looked at him. "No. But I figured I would try to get him to come back to the South Pole. There we can finally try and figure things out." She said, the wind blowing her braid, which was now spilling out.

"Maybe you need to think about why he left." The old man said to her. "And how he will feel about you coming back." He said. Silence met him this time, her arms were wrapped around her in her parka, her head looking into the flames.

"Do you have an answer for him?" He asked her. She looked up, surprised that he knew, but it dropped.

"How did you…"

"Your grandmother told my sister-in-law." He said.

"No…I don't have an answer. I haven't been able to think straight since he left…and what if he does it again? I can't take all this running!" She said, throwing her arms down to her sides, tears in her eyes.

"If it is meant to be, he won't run anymore after he has his answer. Indecision is the hardest thing in the world." He said to her. She turned away and looked to the ocean, and he put more fire into the engine. He had a bad feeling that this trip wasn't going to go well.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: So sorry for the long time since I last posted. Between the holidays and School starting, I've been busy, but I will be regular now! Enjoy and Happy New Year!  
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A roar from Appa made Aang open his eyes. It was evening now, and Aang had been meditating the entire time. He hadn't eaten since sun up, and didn't feel hungry. He looked the way Appa was and watched as a balloon came into view. A fire nation balloon? What was that doing here? Aang took a running start and leapt from the ground onto a higher balcony, grabbing a telescope that they kept up high to watch for incoming people or animals. Hanging from the ledge he looked out, seeing Iroh adding fire into the engine. With him was Katara, looking his way. He almost let go of the ledge but grabbed it tighter. They had found him, and were close. It didn't matter, so what that they found him? He was doing a very poor job of convincing himself that it didn't matter.  
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Katara stared at wonder at the mountainside and her heart clenched. "Iroh…look…" She said pointing to a mountain that was near the temple. It was Gyatso, his face in perfection, more perfect than the statue that sat in the temple itself. He must have done that. Everything else was covered in snow, it was the only mountain revealed, and a small fire burning on it must have been a tribute to the old monk. It was amazing, she couldn't believe that Aang had the emotional strength to do that. She could never do that for her mother, she would break down every time she would try. She felt tears slip down her cheeks. Maybe Aang did understand her better than she thought. Slowly the balloon lowered, the young monk sitting in place, meditating, though his tattoos were not glowing. She approached slowly, unsure what to do or say.

"Hello Katara."

She didn't move any further. His eyes opened up and looked at her and than to Iroh. "Hello Iroh. How are you doing this evening?" His voice was flat, and emotionless. Katara was stunned, unable to believe this. He was calm and relaxed, seemed to be in complete control.

"Well I'm doing fine." Iroh said, seeming to go along with the politeness.

"We need to talk Aang, please." Katara said, recognizing that she had seen this before, shortly after Appa was stolen. He was beyond hurt. Her heart clenched, this time it was all her fault.

"Alright Katara. Let us have some tea inside and some fruit and we can talk." Aang stood and headed towards the nearest building, which Katara realized was sparkling clean. She followed Iroh in, as he walked over and started working on the tea as the monk brought out fruit.

"So Katara, what is it you wish to talk about? It seems an awful long way to come to talk to me if the matter isn't urgent." He said, taking the tea Iroh had just laid down, taking a drink of it slowly. This was killing her, she couldn't take him being so emotionless and serious. It just wasn't him.

"I want you to come back to the South Pole. We all miss you, and don't want you to be alone."

"No."

"What do you mean no?"

"Katara, I understand the South Pole is your home, but this is mine, as you can see, Momo and Appa are happy here, and everything is clean and sparkling, no interruptions from silly things like storms or earthquakes.

She looked over, wondering if Iroh was going to help, but finding him gone out of the room. For the best, this was her battle.

"Aang, I need you. I can't live without you." She said turning back to him, tears falling down her cheeks.

He looked at her once again. "So do you have an answer for me?" He asked, his voice switching from monotonous to slightly hopeful. She was gripping her necklace, something she hadn't realized.

"Aang…please, just come home." He frowned at her, and she could see his heart break in his eyes. His voice was flat again.

"Katara, it is best if you leave now, the serenity of this place is being broken by your presence."

"NO! I'm not leaving. You can't run away from this! I can't think straight, I need you there so I can think, it's not right, please! What would Gyatso say if he saw you running away from me!"

She had gone too far and she knew it. He leapt up, a blast of wind knocking out the torches in the room, the tea spilling. "Get out!" He yelled, his eyes and tattoos glowing for a moment, close to losing control." He turned, grabbed his glider and leapt out a window, leaving Katara alone and in the dark once again.

She didn't know how long she kneeled there, but when a light broke the darkness she turned, hopeful, only to see Iroh, holding a ball of flame. "I made things worse." She said looking at the table. He walked forward towards her before speaking.

"He still loves you Katara." Iroh said to her. "But perhaps we should return to your home. Nothing else can be done here." She wanted to fight, to wait here for him, but she submitted. He was right, Aang wouldn't come back tonight, maybe ever, but her presence wasn't going to help that. She felt tears run down her face again. Why couldn't she just give him an answer? She took a deep breath standing up, preparing for the long flight home.

Aang was flying, over water, for how long he didn't know. He couldn't see through his tears and just wanted to dive down and never think about it again. She couldn't answer him, she tried to insult him. He was holding back sobs. "Why Katara…why?" He said to himself before seeing a place to land. There were stone pillars everywhere. He recognized this place, it was where the battle between him and Ozai took place. "With you gone!" He folded his glider. "Things were supposed to be!" He free fell lifting his arms offensively. "PERFECT!" He yelled, slamming his arms down as he connected with the earth, the ground rippling out, causing pillars to topple, a crater forming where he landed. He was breathing heavy, feeling the vibrations when he felt something familiar. He lifted his arm and snapped it to him, an all too familiar sword finding his hand.

"Even here, there is something to remind me." He closed his eyes and sat down in place. He needed to settle down, this was dangerous for him. He took a deep breath and sighed. All he wanted was peace.

Katara and Iroh landed early that morning, Sokka meeting them, looking as if he hadn't gotten any sleep. She shook her head and he closed his eyes and looked down. "I'm going to bed." Iroh said stretching, and heading off to his makeshift home. "Let's go home Katara." Sokka said. She nodded, walking over to him and embracing for a long moment before heading towards the home that felt just a little empty to Katara.

The door barely closed before a gentle knock disturbed it. She opened it and found Suki. Backing away Suki came in and Katara closed it. "I know you can't sleep Katara…and I figured I'd lend an ear if you need one." She said to her.

"Won't my brother know your missing?" Katara asked, not looking at the Kyoshi Warrior. "He snores like a banshee, I'd have to poor water on his head to wake him up." She said with a tiny blush on her cheeks. Katara managed a small chuckle for that comment which Suki returned.

"So let's talk." Suki said sitting on the bed.

Katara gave a small smile. "Okay."

Aang was alone again, sitting in the crater he had created, looking over the one of a kind sword, wondering if he should deliver it and see if he could live amongst them. He didn't think he could, it was too much for him to bear. He closed his eyes, the autumn solstice was here, he could feel it.

"Avatar Roku." He said allowed, calling to his mentor once again. The older man appeared in front of the current Avatar.

"Hello Aang, what do you need?"

"Advice." He said, and after a moment he spoke. "Should I wait for my emotions to be more under control or should I go now, and maybe find they fall in place?" Roku looked at him for a long moment evaluating his words.

"You may not have time to make that choice Aang. There is a storm coming, one of great proportions and it is headed directly to the South Pole. It will devastate the land, leaving it broken and in pieces. Nothing will be left of what we once knew." Aang's eyes wide as this information struck him.

"No…this can't happen! I won't let it!" Roku smiled at the boy.

"Destiny has it's way of working things out." He told him. "The storm will arrive at the next full moon, bringing the moon's full power to fruition, attacking one of the very places that worship it." He said. "I offer this wisdom Aang. Confront your destiny, and the world will respond." The fire bender disappeared into the air leaving the air bender alone once more.

"I will save them, even if it costs my life."


	14. Chapter 14

Katara stood in the open snow, a cold wind blowing across her. It was midday now, and the sky was clear. She let out a sigh, nothing to do now, but wait. Her students were gone for now, with it being the solstice, the parents were celebrating that they had survived yet another year. She took a deep breath. She was done with crying, she needed to accept some things. Aang needed time, and maybe she didn't. She recalled the conversation last night with the warrior.

"Well, Katara, let's look at it this way. How long has he loved you." She had blushed at that, but knew the answer.

"I know now that he's liked me since he found me. Before now I got an idea in the Cave of Two Lovers before we went to Omashu. For love, I don't know when the change happened." She told her.

"And, how long have you loved him?" She asked in rebuttal.

Katara looked away and then at her hands which were in her lap.

"Since the day he died and I saved him." She said. "I didn't realize it was that at the time, but it was." She said.

"So you too are obviously in love with each other." Suki said.

"Probably more in love than Sokka and I." She added.

"It's not my place to say, but I think no matter when you get married it will be a lasting and happy affair." She said.

He was the Avatar, and completely in control. She was a master water bender now and knew she loved him. She took out the necklace and put it around her neck, tucking it down in her parka. She wanted to marry him, it just took a different perspective to let her see. If only she knew where to look to find him, she could tell him her decision, if he still wanted her of course. She willed him to want it.

Iroh walked out of the small kitchen that adorned the igloo into the sitting room, finding Ursa there, standing, and it looked like she was packed.

"Iroh, I want to go back." She said to the older man. "I want to see how my son is caring for the nation, how it has changed since I left, and most of all, I want to confront my husband." Iroh looked at her for a long moment and nodded.

"If that is what you want, we will go, but please, do not seek out Azula. She is...different." The mother looked away and then faced him again. "I'm ready Iroh, take me to the Fire nation."

Aang was flying, he had been flying since he had finished speaking to Roku. The sword was strapped to his waist, having tied his belt around it. Looked like it would be hand delivered now. He was getting tired. He hadn't slept properly and hadn't eaten. He would need to have his strength if he was to make a difference. He was finally reaching the temple, it caused his heart to pang. Hopefully they hadn't stayed. It was as empty as he found it when he arrived last time. Appa walked over to him and grunted. Aang hugged the bison gently.

"I'm sorry for running off boy." He told him. "I need to get some sleep though, we'll be flying soon, so don't get too lazy." He joked, the buffalo grunting again. Picking up an apple, Aang headed towards his room, needing his strength for what was to come.

"Have to do better than that!" Suki taunted Sokka, as she leapt over his kick. He grumbled and threw his boomerang which she ducked before running towards him, drawing her sword. Sokka caught the edge of hers with his own, pushing it aside before she swung wide. He hit her in the back with the hilt, causing her to turn further than she had planned, the boomerang returning and knocking the sword out of her hand. He stepped on her disarmed sword and pointed his at the warrior.

"Not bad, Sokka." She said grinning before using a concealed fan to knock his sword away from her, along with knocking him to the ground. "Not great though." She joked. Her giggle was cut short as she was pulled down into him.

"I really appreciate all the positive comments, they are so encouraging." He said in a quiet teasing voice.

"Yeah, I'm so sure." She said before leaning in and kissing him.

"Okay students, we've had enough training for one day." Katara said dismissing them. Most of them filed out happy to be free from training, but as she wet her face to remove the sweat, the crunching of snow alerted her that she was not alone. Turning she saw one of her best students. It was a young boy named Lee Fo, probably about eight years old.

"Sorry to disturb you Sifu Katara." He said. "But I have a question." She nodded to him.

"What's your question, little one?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest relaxed.

"Well, you mentioned an octopus form a while ago to us, but you haven't said anything about it since. Are we still going to learn it?" He asked, the eagerness not hidden very well in his voice. Her mind went back to Aang, when he pretended to be an octopus, the only time she had applied it in battle. She closed her eyes for a long moment before returning her gaze to the young water bender. She placed a covered hand on his shoulder.

"That move is still a bit complex for everyone. We will get to it when I feel we are all ready." She told him. He nodded, obviously a little disappointed.

"Thank you Master." He said with a bow which she returned. She had lied to him, but she was sure he didn't know that. There were memories associated with that form that were difficult to think of. One was always hard, and the other was only since Aang had left. She needed to be strong. Maybe he would come back and see her wearing the necklace, see how much everyone needed him, and he would return. She could only hope he felt that way, because if he didn't, she didn't know what she was going to do with herself. For now though, it was time for a snowman. She grinned as she started rolling snow without touching it.

Zuko sat on his throne, the fire burning all around him, his eyes closed. There was nothing left to do at this point. The South Pole was safe, the water benders behind it rounded up and returned to the North Pole for proper conviction, and he had found his mother. He smiled, he had, she was there, and he would see her again. His face fell again though. He wished that she could come here, see what he was doing with the nation, have her see that he was marrying Mai. He was dealing with issues in the city as usual, it was the most common thing these days. No rebellions to speak of really, since the colonies were being evacuated of soldiers. Things were finally going smoothly. Gentle footsteps made him open his eyes. Mai was approaching him.

"A hawk came for you." She said. He dropped the flames and she crossed the threshold with no fear, handing him the letter. She kneeled beside him and laid her head upon his lap as he opened it. His eyes grew wide and he smiled widely.

"My mother is coming."

"What?"

"She's coming home! Uncle is bringing her!" He said excitedly. Mai looked up to him as she felt the intensity of the flames in front of them grow.

"Careful big boy, you don't want to burn this place down." He laughed, and grabbed Mai into a tight hug.

She smiled and closed her eyes, hugging him back, enjoying seeing him so happy.

Katara was finished, the snowman was done! Just in time too, it seemed. The snow was falling heavier, looked like a storm was coming. She looked over and was sure it was perfect. She had made Aang on his Air Scooter, Momo on his shoulder. She created a small igloo over it to protect it from the wind that was beginning to pick up. Funny, she was protecting an Airbender from the wind. Sokka came running over to her.

"Come on Katara, this is looking bad, dad wants you inside with the rest of us, everyone else is inside!" She smiled. "Okay, okay." She said, following her overly excited brother to her familiar home, wondering what the plan was if they once again got snowed in.

Aang felt the cold wind on his face. The storm was close. He ran over to Appa, wearing heavier robes than before to shield him from the cold. He hopped on Appa's back with his staff in hand, the small lemur gliding up to meet him.

"Appa, yip yip." He said, a grunt followed by lift off. "We have to beat the storm to the South Pole or it will be too late." He told him. The bison flew sideways and Aang hopped off his head. There were clouds everywhere, and he had a feeling that this was only the beginning. He had finished his task on the mountainside finally, and was ready to face however bad of a storm this was going to be. He started air bending behind him, trying to slow down the clouds, which were going to lead to the destruction of the South Pole, and everything he had left in this world.

Everyone was grouped together in the main room for warmth, the temperature had dropped and seemed to be getting colder. It hadn't gotten this cold in a long time, not since she was a child.

"Everyone should sleep in here tonight, we need each other's heat to stay warm." Hakoda said to everyone. It was a good idea. Sokka and Suki were huddled together already, but Kanna seemed relatively untouched by the weather. She was watching the window with determination, it seemed that she feared something about this storm, and that wasn't good at all. Katara was by her father who was watching over everyone. She wished Aang was here, he could make them a fire and stop it from melting their shelter. It would be perfect. Hopefully he wasn't in this storm. If he was out in it, he may not be okay either. It had been a storm that caused him to find his way here in the first place, and she didn't want him missing for another hundred years. She wanted him back now. She turned toward the window, worried. "I hope you're okay Aang." She whispered to herself, hoping somehow he could hear.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I need to apologize to everyone who has read up to this point before this chapter was posted. I had originally finished the story while on vacation, and I actually lost my thumb drive. This caused me great distress, and because I was so bothered by my lost work, I fell into a slump. Here I am today, dedicated to finishing this story, because it is long overdue. Please enjoy.

Aang made his way to the South Pole before the storm got out of hand. "Appa, go to your igloo, I need to do this alone." Appa roared in protest, but Aang was was off his back, gliding slowly to the ice wall that he had secured and took a deep breath. He focused, feeling the water and snow, before mixing the ice and building a larger, second wall in front of it. Aang leapt, and glided a short way onto the other wall.

The wind was picking up already, he felt the wind push me, and knew his time was limited. He quickly built smaller walls, made them into cave like structures to prevent some of the water from getting through. The snow was getting harder now, but he was focused on the water, watching the waves grow. He started slowly at first, pushing the waves slowly, making a rhythm so he could feel the ocean. It was churning violently already, but it wasn't quite here yet. "Pass us by, please…" Aang whispered to the wind, shortly before the first violent wave crashed onto the icy shore.

Katara looked outside, the visibility almost completely gone. "Do you think… " Whatever Suki was going to say was cut off, the door slamming open. One of their fellow water tribe friends, was crying, and shivering violently. "My daughter… has anyone seen my daughter? " Terrified looks from amongst the group told them that no one had. "Ka…Katara, she went to see you… I think she might be at your training area." She rose immediately, and Hakoda rose quickly. "You can't go out there.

"I have to dad. This is on me, and I'm the only one who can make it through this." He frowned, but simply gave her a hug.

"Be safe Katara, come back safe."

Quickly Katara covered herself in heavy jackets before slipping outside, the door behind her slamming shut from the wind. She pulled the hood tight around her before heading out towards the training camp.

Had it not been the familiar path she knew, she was sure she would have gotten lost. It took her twice the time, but she also had built small ice totems to mark the path in case she got lost going home. The igloo was closed, and when she opened it, she found nothing. Her heart froze in her chest. "Where…" A familiar roar made her look immediately to the side. Sure enough, covered in hay, not far was Appa, with the little girl tucked tightly underneath.

She made her way through the snow quickly, building more totems.

"Appa… is Aang here?" She asked, and Appa gave a sad groan. "Appa, take her to my house, I built totems to mark the place. I need to go find Aang." He nuzzled her gently before taking the little girl in his arms and flying into the air, the wind bending around him.

"Aang, where are you?" She asked herself, struggling forward, building more totems, but fighting with even more vigor.

Aang was fighting the waves as they became more ferocious. The caves help stop some of the onslaught, but it wasn't long before he had to redirect them entirely. The waves were easily over his head, and took a fair amount of technique to direct them down and around the wall. He was getting wet also, but used his waterbending every time he moved to remove it. It was cold, he could feel it, but he had to focus. Katara and her family, almost all of his friends, relied on him beating this storm.

He felt the water rearing back once more and took this time to build more icebergs, and more caves to buffer the water. Aang was worried it wasn't going to help as much as he wanted it too, but he had to try. He took a deep breath and waited, using a breath of fire to warm himself up like Zuko had taught him. The wind increased suddenly, almost blinding him, but he felt the ocean, and when he opened his eyes, the wave that was coming towered over him, and Aang took his stance, ready to die trying fighting off waves like this one.

Katara struggled through the snow, visibility less than a foot ahead of her, she was getting frustrated before she finally stomped her foot and thrust her hands to her side yelling "Enough!" The snow froze in midair that was about to hit her, the oncoming blizzard bending around her. She had reached the wall, but saw nothing on it. Next thing she knew, a huge wave of water crashed into it. She gasped "Aang" She built a mountain of snow as she ran, terrified of what she would find. On the top of the wall was nothing, but the water had landed between this wall and a second one, where a figure stood alone, glowing for just a moment. Katara removed the water between the walls, throwing it into the snow behind her, before using the snow to propel herself onto the wall. She watched as Aang redirected a wave before he turned to her.

"Katara, get out of here! It's too dangerous!" He shouted at her, full of concern, looking back at the ocean.

"No Aang, I'm here to stay." She said, as a wave came in once more, taller than the wall itself. She redirected it, crashing away from the wall. She looked over at Aang.

"We will do this together." She said. He looked at her for a moment, his eyes unreadable.

"Okay, let's do this." They both turned back towards the ocean, where the waves were becoming even more reckless, yet she was confident that together they could beat the onslaught.

"She's been gone for too long." Hakoda said, his voice rising from the silence. The sun had risen, and the blizzard subsided, Katara hadn't returned, and everyone was worried. It had just stopped for the moment, and everyone was afraid it was the eye of the storm, no one else needed to get lost in the blizzard. Sokka rose from Suki's side. Thankfully the missing child had been returned, by Appa, to everyone's surprise, that meant Aang was here and had comforted everyone, however the fact that neither of them, or even Appa had come back, worried them all.

"We have to be sure the storm is over, otherwise someone else could be lost in the storm. Katara is one of the best waterbenders in the world, and well, Aang is the avatar, I am sure we don't have to worry about him. Together they are fine I'm sure, they probably just waited out the storm, that is all." Sokka looked out the window, away from the group, seeing the rows of ice totems his sister had built, some having been knocked over. A pit in his stomach made him less confident then he tried to sound. They should have been back by now.

"We will go together then!" Hakoda responded. Sokka looked back at his father, and most of the people in the room cheered in response before rising. He was out voted. His father clapped him on the shoulder.

"We will go together, so no one will be lost." He said to him. Sokka took a deep breath. "Okay, dad, let's do this." With that everyone started packing up, getting there heavy coats on, and their weapons in case they needed to hack through ice. It took only a few minutes, but everyone was ready except the mother and her child. They all left single file, hoping to find them alive and well.

Katara and Aang were seated inside Appa's igloo, when the waves had settled down they had dropped all the icebergs and caves, and even the second wall, now they had been simply sitting together, waiting for the blizzard itself to pass. Aang didn't know what to say, part of him was so glad to see her, the other part still stung, unsure of what to do now. He could leave of course, and let them have their peace, but the look on Katara's face said he shouldn't. Without a word, Katara unbuttoned her heavy coat and pulled down her hood, since it had warmed up a lot already. Around her neck hung his proposal necklace, he didn't speak, unsure what it meant, and a fear building that she would take it off and hand it back to him.

"Yes" She said, touching the necklace. "Yes, I will marry you Aang." She said looking into his eyes smiling, tears welling in them "If you will still have me."

Aang rose with the speed of an airbender and hugged her. "Of course Katara, it's all I ever really wanted. He pulled away from her shoulder and they chuckled nervously for a moment before leaning in and meeting in a soft, but passionate kiss.

"Whoa… I think they are alive!" Sokka's voice rang out from outside the igloo, causing Aang and Katara to separate. Always good for ruining a moment her brother was.

"She said yes!" Aang said, spinning into the air happily before floating down onto his feet once more. Everyone started clapping and he walked over and offered his hand. She took it and rose from the ground.

"If it is alright with everyone, I need to show her something at the Air Temple." He grinned back at Katara, who looked surprised, and maybe a little nervous? Hakoda was the first to respond.

"Since we know you are alright, that sounds fine to me."

Aang grinned. "Thanks!" With Katara, he ran out of the igloo, finding Appa waiting. They both got into the saddle and he smiled. "Appa, yip yip!" With that they flew into the air towards the temple.

Katara sat behind Aang, with her arms around him, she was pretty sure she could feel him smiling. "What is this big surprise Aang? Can't you just tell me?" He chuckled.

"Trust me, it's worth waiting for." He said, as they approached the temple, she saw the carving of Gyatso in the mountainside once more, still shocked by its beauty. She let go of Aang and pushed herself back as they made a turn to enter the temple and a gasp escaped her. She covered her mouth and felt tears well in her eyes.

"What do you think?" Aang said quietly, making Appa turn so they could get closer to it.

She had no words; instead she just hugged his back, and took a deep breath. "I'm touched Aang, I… I can't believe you did that" In the side of the mountain, directly next to the temple, there was a carving of her, detail down to the shape of her eyes, to the way she did her hair every day. It was perfect detail, and larger than life. "Thank you Aang, I don't deserve this."

Appa landed at the temple and Aang turned to look at her. "You deserve the world Katara, and I plan on giving it to you, one day at a time." He smiled at her and they embraced once more, both of them happier than they had ever been before.


	16. Epilogue

A/N: This is the last chapter, I am going to have an A/N at the end as well, with a bunch of other things. If you are reading this, and you waited for it, I thank you greatly. Let me know what you think, as I said, there will be another A/N, so please, enjoy

Aang stood at the South Pole, looking over the now well-developed area. It was wonderful to see, it was so different from when he had first seen it. Things were so different now, life seemed simple. As the Avatar he had achieved his duty, setting balance to the world, and while he was still here for the world, whenever it might need him, he was at peace. Snowmen were everywhere, ice huts and igloos scattered the ground. He looked over, watching as Suki tackled Sokka before they both started laughing. This was the good life.

He started walking back to the hut that he had left, they had come to visit Sokka, and it looked like all was well with them. He could never have imagined when they first met the Kyoshi warriors, that Sokka would find his true love, given his story was a little less believable, having been frozen for a hundred years and the moment he wakes, finding the love of his life, and well, at this point he believed, his destiny. He felt a snowball hit the back of his head and grinned, turning to see one of the new water tribe children. He grinned and went to pick up a snowball before he got hit with another. It looked like all the children had ganged up on him. He chuckled and started waterbending snowballs at them, causing them to scream with laughter and hide.

"Aang! Come quick!" Ty Lee said running up to him. He was used to her now, watching her cartwheel though the snow back towards the place he was staying. He knew what time it was and hurried after her into the room where Katara was. He kneeled by the bed and took her hand.

"How soon?" He asked, looking at the waterbending healer who had joined them when they had come down.

"Now" She said, prepping for what was to come. He kissed Katara's hand, and she smiled at him before releasing it.

"Let me know whatever I can do" Aang said, looking serious, before going to fetch some towels.

It had taken a few hours, but everything had gone smoothly. Aang entered the room once more and handed his newborn son to Katara. "Have…have you thought of a name?" She asked him, sounding tired, but smiling wide.

"Yes, I have." Aang smiled back at her, looking at the child. "His name will be, Tenzin."

A/N: I know it is short, but there was only so much that I actually wanted to say, and I felt it was a nice transition into Korra, and yes, this timeframe takes place after Bumi and Kya are born, it was supposed to be a surprise. Anyway, thank you, if you are finishing this story, I know it was a long road, for all of us. I haven't written any fan fiction at all in a long time, but am thinking about getting back into it. Would anyone be interested in Legend of Korra fanfiction? I would definitely be good with that as well. I also would like to site my inspiration for this story, and it strongly came from a song, believe it or not. It is called "Far" by Coheed and Cambria. It was almost the sole inspiration for this, and I can't tell you why, it just is. Once again, thank you so much for reading, and please R & R so I should know if I should ever write a multi-chapter again.


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